Gotta have faith
TNT will be entering the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against San Miguel Beer without a complete roster.
The team will make sure it won’t matter.
With Roger Pogoy doubtful to play in Game 1 of the all-Filipino conference finale, Reyes kept his confidence in the Tropang 5G at an all-time high.
His belief in TNT’s other guys is simply him doing his part against the mighty Beermen.
“I feel that if we are coming into this series with less than 100 percent belief, then we have no chance. It starts from there. We have to have the belief that regardless of who’s healthy or not, we are going to come out and play our best game,” he said at Novotel on Monday, during the press conference for the Finals.
“It doesn’t bother us too much. It doesn’t affect our belief whether we have Jayson (Castro) and Roger. They’re a big, big part of our team. But in terms of our belief, it doesn’t bother us too much.”
Hurting hamstring
The Tropang 5G is no stranger to this kind of environment.
Just last season, during the Finals of the same conference, TNT competed against eventual champion San Miguel without Poy Erram.
Facing almost the same predicament, Reyes and company kept their optimism high.
“Our goal is to have me ready for the Finals. Right now, I’m just strengthening my hamstring. That’s the only update I have,” Pogoy said.
The gunslinger out of Far Eastern University reaggravated the hamstring that had bothered him for much of the past year during the semifinals.
In Game 4 of TNT’s semis series against Meralco, Pogoy felt an ache in his hamstring, which prompted him to be subbed out early in the game.
He never returned and was also in civilian clothing in the Tropang 5G’s closeout game against the Bolts.
Reyes has reason not to fret despite the situation.
After all, he still has the services of sweet-shooting guard Jordan Heading and former PBA Finals MVP Rey Nambatac.
But while Reyes’ confidence may be high, he is also very much aware of what coach Leo Austria and the Beermen bring to the big stage, especially in the championship round of an all-Filipino conference.
“The problem is, even if we bring out our best game, it’s not a guarantee that we will beat a team as strong as San Miguel. In the end, that’s all we can do,” Reyes said.
“All we can do is do our best. If that happens to be enough, then so be it.”
TNT takes on San Miguel in Game 1 of the Finals on Wednesday at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo.
