GRAND SNAG
Grand Slam-seeking TNT and defending champion Meralco are caught in tight spots at this point of the PBA Philippine Cup.
The Tropang 5G, who are looking to defy those doubting their chances of taking the all-Filipino without Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, have done just the opposite, slipping to a 0-2 start following Sunday’s 100-94 loss to the Converge FiberXers in Antipolo City.
“We’re coming from two conferences playing with Rondae, so honestly we’re really adjusting without him,” admitted RR Pogoy in Filipino. “Before, he was always there on defense and he’s always there to clean up the boards so we’re really making a lot of adjustments.”
Meralco, now on the midway point of the eliminations, is dealing with a 2-3 win-loss slate after dropping its third straight game on Sunday, a high-scoring 128-116 defeat to Rain or Shine.
Chris Newsome played just 27 minutes and was held to just three points on 1-of-6 shooting, although he had four rebounds and seven assists. But concerns of his fitness could be crucial in the Bolts’ chances after the star was bogged down with cramps throughout the contest.
“Anytime you’re on a losing streak, it doesn’t feel good,” Newsome told The Inquirer. “You want that good start to get to the playoffs early before the teams that are in the Finals and the semifinals get back into the mix. [And] we missed that opportunity.”
TNT lost, 91-74, to NLEX last Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum, then fell behind by 22 against a taller Converge squad that saw Justin Arana and rookie Justine Baltazar each produce a double-double.
Phoenix on Friday
But if there’s a bit of shining light, TNT can hold was the way it performed in the second half when the Converge lead shrank to six behind Pogoy, plus bits from Poy Erram and Kelly Williams, and the shooting of Calvin Oftana, who finished with 33.
“We came into the NLEX game without any tuneup games so we expected that we would struggle,” Pogoy said. “We didn’t expect to play like this against Converge, but I felt that in the second half we finally got a feel of how we want to play.”
Like in the previous conference, TNT lost its first two games. But then, a six-game winning streak followed suit on its way to the title. The chance to replicate that starts Friday against Phoenix in Montalban, Rizal, before facing San Miguel Beer, on a strong 3-1 record, two nights later in Antipolo.
Meralco, meanwhile, has a long break before facing NorthPort on May 9 in what Newsome and company hope would be a good stretch in the back end of the eliminations.
“This [slump] is something that we have to fight through and it shows that we have so much left to work on,” Newsome said. “Of course, we’re the defending champions so everybody has their target on us and that is to be expected. So it’s on us to make the adjustments and continue to fight back.”
