Full charge
ANTIPOLO—TNT struggled early in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, despite having arguably the most talented import in the field.
That seems to be a distant memory now.
After drawing first blood against Meralco with a 94-89 victory on Wednesday night before a pack crowd at Ynares Center here, the Tropang 5G seemed to have found the right mix of locals to deliver crucial plays and sustain their resurgence.
“We were struggling trying to find that combination and balance in the eliminations,” coach Chot Reyes said. “But again, we were never fully healthy during the eliminations.”
Game 1 saw several players who dealt with injuries during TNT’s 6-6 campaign in the elimination round step up, particularly Jordan Heading and Roger Pogoy.
Heading came off the bench and scored 16 points, while Pogoy led TNT’s local contingent with 21 to complement another massive performance from the 7-foot-3 Bol Bol.
Bol finished with 37 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and six blocks for the Tropang 5G.
“We didn’t have a fully healthy Roger Pogoy, Jordan missed a couple of games, we missed Brandon [Ganuelas-Rosser] for a couple of games, so we couldn’t put out the lineup we wanted on a consistent basis,” Reyes said.
“Fortunately, as the eliminations wound down, we got Roger back 100 percent, and what you’re seeing now are the combinations that we wanted,” he added.
Game 2 on Friday
Reyes also paid tribute to Heading, who shot 6-of-9 from the field in 25 minutes despite struggling offensively entering the playoffs. The left-handed guard averaged just 8.3 points on 31-percent shooting when TNT finished 6-6, good for eighth in the standings.
“He was struggling with his shots, but we’re happy that he puts in the effort on defense,” Reyes said. “We always talk among ourselves that there are many ways to impact the team. But when Jordan’s offense is clicking, that helps us as well.”
TNT hopes to sustain its playoff form on Friday when it shoots for a 2-0 lead at Mall of Asia Arena.
The Tropang 5G entered the semifinals riding the momentum of their quarterfinal conquest of the top-seeded NLEX Road Warriors despite needing to win twice to advance.
But TNT still had to deal with a tough Meralco side that got 22 points and 14 rebounds from dependable import Marvin Jones.
Meralco led 75-74 in the fourth quarter before Heading, Pogoy and Calvin Oftana sparked TNT’s decisive breakaway, turning it into an 88-77 advantage with under five minutes remaining.
Active consultant Nenad Vucinic later agreed that TNT’s locals did more damage to Meralco than Bol.
“We know they are a very difficult team to beat because of their high-quality players,” said Vucinic, whose Bolts were beaten by the Tropang 5G in the Philippine Cup semifinals last January.
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