Nambatac: Fatigue a factor in Game 4
If it were all up to talent and strategy, TNT guard Rey Nambatac remains confident with the Tropang 5G’s chances in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.
There’s something else bothering the sweet-shooting guard after Sunday night’s game at the Mall of Asia Arena, where the Tropang 5G ultimately faltered to San Miguel Beer, 95-89.
“For me, we only need to adjust a little because our coaches have laid out the plans. My concern is our fatigue,” Nambatac said.
“We couldn’t take care of the lead and when we try to protect our lead, the tendency is we get tired [and] we lose our advantage.”
Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser felt the wear and tear late in the game after playing for over 40 minutes of action. The TNT big man had to battle the Beermen’s June Mar Fajardo in some stretches of the game.
On the other hand, the guy who owns the bulk of that task, Kelly Williams, only saw action for only 19 minutes due to early foul trouble.
Ganuelas-Rosser still managed to notch a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds, but he lost steam in the final minutes of the game, one of the reasons that the Beermen managed to pull away for the 2-1 series lead.
On the bright side, Calvin Oftana came through with 25 points after starting hot right out of the gates. He hit 10 of 18 shots from the field and played 37 minutes—some of which he spent playing with a lot of energy on defense.
“In this next game or our next practice, we need to prepare more on stamina and our conditioning,” Nambatac said after dropping 12 points and four rebounds in the loss.
San Miguel Beer veteran playmaker Chriss Ross, however, doesn’t see fatigue playing a factor when his team tries to take a 3-1 cushion against a TNT squad desperate to tie the series—taking note of the two days the Tropang Giga will have to recharge their energy before Wednesday’s Game 4.
“The series is far from over, they’re a really good team and we know they’ll make adjustments,” Ross told the Inquirer.
Game 4 will be a virtual do-or-die for the Tropang 5G, who will try to avoid dropping into what is generally an insurmountable series deficit.
