TNT forward Calvin Oftana soared for the rebound off a crucial miss by San Miguel Beer star CJ Perez in the fourth quarter last Sunday night.
Oftana’s board came a few plays after he knocked down a right corner three-pointer.
While the Gilas Pilipinas mainstay is mostly known for his scoring exploits, he unraveled a different facet of his game when his team needed it the most.
“Ang sinabi ni coach (Chot Reyes) in our huddle, just show up. Iyon ang bagay na talagang wala sa amin the past three games. Wala na si Rondae (Hollis-Jefferson, import). Wala na iyong shot blocker and rebounder namin, so, having said that, iyon rin ang isinulat ko sa board namin when coach asked us kung ano pa iyong maico-contribute namin,” Oftana said.
“Coach Josh (Reyes) reminded me na mag-contribute kaming dalawa ni Roger sa rebounding kasi the more na makaka-rebound kami, the more na mako-kontrol namin iyong laro. Iyon nga career-high ko sa rebounds pero I’m not looking for that. I’m just happy na nanalo na kami this conference and hopefully, ma-sustain namin the rest of our games,” he added.
The 6-foot-5 former NCAA MVP out of San Beda University totaled 23 points and a career-best 21 rebounds, to go with six assists in helping steer the grand slam-seeking Tropang 5G to a pulsating 89-84 decision over the Beermen for their breakthrough triumph in the PBA Philippine Cup.
It was a much-needed win for Reyes’ wards after starting their Triple Crown bid with three straight losses.
Oftana does not think he had a 20-20 game in his career previously but that hardly mattered.
“I think hindi,” Oftana said. “Ngayon lang ata sa career ko. Siguro tamang tulog na naman. I’m thankful na nanalo. Thankful ako na nanalo kami ngayon at nag-show up lahat lalo na sa depensa.
“Credit to our bench players like sila Q (Brian Heruela). Talagang iyon ang nagbigay ng energy sa amin. Those kinds of things para ma-boost ang sarili namin. Kayang-kaya ng second group namin, bakit hindi namin kayang gawin, kaming first group.”
The important stat for Oftana now? TNT already has one victory in the winner’s circle.
