GAMES TOMORROW
(Ninoy Aquino Stadium)
5 p.m. – Terrafirma vs. NLEX
7:30 p.m. – Meralco vs. Magnolia
ONE really can’t count out a champion team like TNT.
With the Tropang 5G’s wobbly 0-3 start in their grand slam dreams now over, coach Chot Reyes can heave a big sigh of relief—for now.
“More than the record, I think we’re seeing definite improvements on defense and offense. Malaking bagay na we’ve just gone through the first half of our schedule,” Reyes said. “Admittedly, I wanted it to be a better record than this but we can’t complain with a 3-3 mark given the way we started. The key now is, number one, recovery. Roger (Pogoy) got hit by cramps and we all know Rey (Nambatac) might be suffering from a groin injury.
“So, that’s the most important thing. We have to make sure that we are able to recover well in the next few days while at the same time staying sharp. So, that’s always the balancing act that we have to play,” he added.
Reyes spoke after his charges bamboozled the reigning champions Meralco Bolts last Sunday night for a hat-trick of wins in the PBA Philippine Cup.
To the delight of the fiery tactician, TNT used a fourth quarter blitzkrieg led by 16 of the season-best 34 points of prolific scorer Roger Pogoy, and their defense that spelled the big difference.
“I thought in the third quarter Meralco made some great half time adjustments to counter our defense so we just had to talk and made a counter adjustment and fortunately, it worked and we were able to limit their scorers, Chris Newsome, Bong Quinto, and (Chris) Banchero from inflicting damage,” Reyes said. “That’s really the strength of this team. If those guys get their shots and get their looks, they’re very dangerous.
“Fortunately, we were able to make that counter-adjustment in the fourth quarter. Like we always say in our team, as long as we defend well, our offense pretty much follows and takes care of itself.”
Pogoy also grabbed three rebounds while Calvin Oftana backed him up with 28 markers, five boards, and three assists for the Tropang 5G.
Rey Nambatac and JP Erram also combined for 23 as TNT did an encore to a 110-74 dismantling of Terrafirma last Friday.
Meralco came off a 105-104 decision of NorthPort also last Friday and slipped to 3-4.
Reyes can only hope his squad can sustain its charge as the tourney moves to its crucial juncture.
“We’ve done a good job in these past three games in just moving the ball and finding the open man and like I said, as long as we get good looks, we’re not gonna make every shot. But as long as they’re good looks, we can live with it,” he said. “The problem is if we are missing and taking shots under duress or shots that there’s a man in front of us.
“The players are just being more patient and when that happens, the ball magically finds its intended target. So, it lands in the hands of the guys who should be taking the shots.”
