HERE THEY GO AGAIN
The PBA Philippine Cup Finals shifts on Friday to Philsports Arena in Pasig City where San Miguel Beer will get a second chance at finishing off TNT.
A second straight win over the Beermen, on the other hand, is what the Tropang 5G are aiming for in the 7:30 p.m. contest, a shot they gained after the series was extended two nights earlier with a win carved out by a walking-wounded roster that left everything on the floor.
TNT took an 86-78 victory at Smart Araneta Coliseum that kept its Grand Slam hopes alive following three successive defeats that appeared like an assurance that a title was all but a formality for San Miguel.
But championships are earned, not given, and TNT vowed to make the most of whatever fight it has left in its bid to force a deciding seventh game.
“Coach Chot [Reyes] always tells us to keep fighting as long as we still have a chance,” Almond Vosotros, who was big in the Game 5 win, said in Filipino after keying the Tropang 5G’s survival with 11 points, five in the fourth quarter.
Vosotros is not just fighting to keep TNT’s chances of a place in history, but also his future beyond the Finals. The former PBA 3×3 star’s two-month contract expires on Monday, having received his final payout recently.
He was actually taken back by the Tropang 5G this conference, when injuries to Jayson Castro and Rey Nambatac opened the door for Vosotros to sign a short deal. Then his minutes increased in the Finals with Simon Enciso out with an orbital fracture.
A 14-point showing in Game 3 went for naught as TNT lost despite attempts to overhaul a double-digit deficit before Game 5 allowed him to help counter San Miguel’s comeback tries in the second half.
“My confidence is always there and it’s always about being ready,” he said.
If Vosotros can step up anew, then it may boost TNT’s chances against a San Miguel team that seemed to have an off night in Game 5.
Jericho Cruz did score 20 points, but all but one came in the second half when San Miguel played catch-up. Other key figures in the Finals, like Don Trollano and Mo Tautuaa endured cold outings.
And unless it was just a matter of having one of those nights, the Beermen could be in for some difficulties if those guys can’t step up.
But closing out the Finals could happen for San Miguel if Marcio Lassiter can build on his averages of 12.5 points in the last two games, including 15 in Game 5, and if CJ Perez can finally break out his horrendous slump that became more evident when he was just 1-of-5 from the floor for five points.
“TNT is a champion team and it will not just roll over and hand us the title,” said Perez. “It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t finish things off [in Game 5], but the good thing is that we still got a chance to get it done on Friday.”
