On a cruise
ANTIPOLO—The press room at Ynares Center burst into laughter at coach Chot Reyes’ reaction when asked if TNT would go for a sweep of Magnolia following Wednesday’s Game 2 victory.
“Of course. We can’t be going for a loss in Game 3,” Reyes said while laughing after the Tropang 5G’s 91-73 win to go 2-0 over the Hotshots in the PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinals.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson also reacted comically, perhaps another sign of how relaxed a TNT side is that has put on a masterclass performance, leaving Magnolia frustrated.
Hollis-Jefferson put up 39 points and 11 rebounds against a tough Hotshots defense to carry the Tropang 5G anew and set themselves up for a potential semifinal berth with a win on Halloween at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
“It’s not like we’re gonna go out wanting to lose,” Reyes said. “But of course, we’re gonna go for it. Can we get it? I don’t know. The team that we’re playing is the No. 1 team in their group, and they’re not No. 1 for nothing.”
“So we have to be ready. We have to be continuously better because a big element of our team is the ability to just get better,” he added. “So we’ll go back to the film room to know what areas that we need to get better.”
Hollis-Jefferson agreed with Reyes’ sentiments, but he also pointed out the need to look at the broader picture, instead of just hurdling the quarters.
“I always tell the guys that we’re not just preparing for the next game. We’re preparing like it’s Game 7 of the Finals,” he said. “So even at the end of this game, how we finish is everything. That leads into the next game.”
“We wanna be ready, every time we step on that floor,” Hollis-Jefferson added.
It felt all doom and gloom on the other side as the Hotshots couldn’t take advantage of the one stretch where the Tropang 5G went unusually cold and saw their double-digit lead reduced to two early in the third.
TNT eventually responded behind Hollis-Jefferson, putting the lead back up to 15, and prompting Magnolia coach LA Tenorio to lash out at his team during a huddle.
“What the f*ck are we doing?! We look like sh*t inside!” Tenorio was heard during the game’s livestream. “You gotta think, not only play. You gotta think!”
Fifty-seven of the 60 teams that took a 2-0 lead in a best-of-five series have gone on to win, with 30 of those ending in a sweep.
