TNT aims to temper its determination with caution when it takes on Terrafirma today in the penultimate day of the PBA Governors Cup elimination round at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Undisputed leader Magnolia battles Blackwater in the nightcap, with the Hotshots aiming to use the game simply to try out new combinations as well as better prepare Ian Sangalang and Rome dela Rosa, both coming off injuries, for the playoffs.
The cellar-dwelling Bossing are aiming to snap a 29-game losing streak since last year but that seems highly unlikely against the Hotshots, who are just coming off a 118-91 demolition of Alaska last Sunday.
TNT has so much more at stake than Terrafirma. A fourth straight win by the Tropang Giga will give them a 6-4 slate and leave them needing another victory against NorthPort in a match ending the eliminations on Friday.
Should TNT complete the two-game sweep, it will join Magnolia and NLEX in the top four, which carries with it a win-once advantage in the quarterfinals.
A single loss would quash the Tropa’s immediate goal, however, and that remains a possibility since Terrafirma is playing pressure-free, having been long taken out of the playoffs race and now simply trying to end its campaign on a bright note.
Even TNT coach Chot Reyes has admitted going up against a nothing-to-lose team is something he is wary of.
“I told the team that these are the games I fear the most, when everyone expects us to win, the odds are stacked in our favor,” said Reyes following his team’s 106-93 victory over Blackwater last Friday. “These are the games I really dread the most.”
The Tropa found their hands full against the Bossing, being repeatedly threatened despite the former’s fast start that netted them as much as an 87-67 lead.
“We had a lot of lapses throughout the game,” said Reyes.
“We weren’t able to play a full 48-minute game at the level that we wanted,” added Reyes.
“Every time we get a nice lead we would relax and we almost paid for it.”
Terrafirma is capable of pulling the rug from under any of the favored teams. It’s just a matter of coming up with the needed finishing kick.
The Dyip managed to erect sizable leads against Alaska, Ginebra and, lately, NorthPort, but failed to hold on and suffered losses that fueled their current four-game slide.
Terrafirma coach Johnedel Cardel believes his team has learned its lessons, albeit too late.
“Nakita naman ng mga bata na kaya naming at least makipagsabayan sa mga favored at mas experienced teams,” he said. “If we can hold on hanggang sa dulo this time, siguro naman kaya na naming itawid.”
