Will TNT show up with same resolve?

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RANGED against a powerhouse San Miguel Beer five he described as “too good of a team,” coach Chot Reyes of defending champion TNT is hoping his charges would show up with the same resolve in the second game.

“Hopefully, we can shut down the others and I think we gave them a lot of opportunities in the first half. They got like 10 extra possessions because of our 13 turnovers in the first half,” Reyes said after the Tropang Giga hacked out a dramatic 86-84 cliffhanger over the Beermen on Jayson Castro’s buzzer-beating jumper in Game 1 last Sunday.

“I think we cleaned that up in the second half and when we do that, we give them fewer opportunities. Their depth does not hurt us that much. Pero kapag binigyan mo sila ng maraming chances, wala kang pag-asa talaga. They’re just too good of a team,” he added.

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TNT seeks a 2-0 lead when it takes on SMB tonight in Game 2 of their best-of-7 finals duel for the PBA Philippine Cup title at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The match is set at 5:45 p.m., with the Tropang Giga bidding to reach half of their mission, while the Beermen try to avoid a 0-2 hole in the race-to-4 battle.

Reyes said TNT needs to do better from the foul line and limit its turnovers.

“If we can just make our free throws. . . our free throw shooting in this ballgame was atrocious. Again, something that we have to address in Game 2,” Reyes, whose team only sank 13 of its 25 free throw shots and committed 18 turnovers in the series opener, said.

“There are two things that we need to work on: our turnovers and free throws.”

The mettle of the Tropang Giga’s coaching staff will also be tested as Reyes will not call the shots in Games 2 and 3 to coach Gilas Pilipinas against Lebanon in the FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers on Friday in Beirut.

“I’m very intentional in developing my coaching staff so that in situations like these, they can step in. Coach Sandy (Arespacochaga) and coach Yuri (Escueta) are going to step forward. Boss Jolas (Jojo Lastimosa, TNT team manager) will help as well because he’s there. We also have Ranidel (De Ocampo), Bong Ravena, and Mau Belen,” Reyes said.

“They’ll have to take the cudgels (and) let’s see how well I’ve prepared them.”

Aside from Castro, the likes of Mikey Williams, Roger Pogoy, JP Erram, Troy Rosario, Kelly Williams, and Glenn Khobuntin will be counted upon by TNT.

Prized SMB center June Mar Fajardo wants the Beermen to learn their lessons after squandering a 15-point first half lead.

“Iyon iyong kailagan naming i-address. Kapag nakalamang kami ng malaki, biglang nagre-relax iyong opensa namin,” Fajardo said. “Nire-remind kami lagi ni coach. Kailangan namin i-work out iyon.”

SMB will pin its hopes on Fajardo, CJ Perez, Vic Manuel, Marcio Lassiter, Jericho Cruz, Mo Tautuaa, and Chris Ross.

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