Heading searches for higher level as TNT hits survival mode
Jordan Heading is willing to reach deeper for a still undiscovered gear on Sunday for TNT in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.
As the Tropang 5G virtually faces a twice-to-beat disadvantage at the hands of the surging San Miguel Beer, Heading admitted that he has poured everything into his team’s title hunt—but it hasn’t been enough.
“Both teams really want to win this thing, so both teams are putting everything on the line. Everyone’s playing hard and that’s sometimes just what happens,” Heading said following their 96-82 loss to the Beermen at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo—one that has the Tropang 5G searching for a way to force an equalizer.
And if that means pushing his body beyond what it has already absorbed, Heading is willing to go further than he’s ever gone before.
“It comes with the game, so if physicality’s what it takes, then that’s what it takes. We’ll just see how it goes.”
Compared to the first four games of the series, Game 5 carried a different edge—more forceful, more confrontational and a whole lot chippier.
For one, it even saw June Mar Fajardo go down awkwardly with a tweaked knee after a bump from Poy Erram while he was on a shooting motion during the third quarter. The sight of Fajardo on the floor is uncommon, given the force it would take to bring the 6-foot-10 center down.
Bickering bigs
It also saw TNT bigs Erram and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser bicker with game officials after unfavorable calls.
Whatever tension had been simmering earlier in the series finally boiled over in the fifth match.
Unfortunately for TNT, it was San Miguel that played steadier.
The Beermen were also the ones who all but secured a twice-to-beat advantage for a second straight all-Filipino conference championship.
After absorbing the heartbreak of last year’s Finals loss to the same team in the same conference, Heading chose to look at the setback as an impetus to try harder.
“We’ve got to take better care of the ball. I think we’ve got to make better decisions with the ball as well,” the former Gilas sniper said. “I thought they kind of picked us apart defensively. We’ve got to crank up that pressure a little bit more.”
Game 6 gets going on Sunday at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
