WANTED: OUTSIDE SHOOTING
While TNT looks to address its uncharacteristic turnovers from Game 1, San Miguel Beer hopes to generate more production outside the shaded lane in Game 2 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals on Friday.
TNT will try to grab a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series when it returns to action at 7:30 p.m. at Ynares Center in Antipolo City, the same venue where it pulled out a 96-91 win in the opener two nights ago.
San Miguel nearly erased a 19-point deficit from the second quarter, but perimeter struggles—particularly from key reserve Don Trollano—proved costly down the stretch.
“Most of the players who scored were our big men,” coach Leo Austria said. “But our wingmen, especially our bench, didn’t perform.”
Trollano finished with just four points on 1-of-7 shooting, his lone basket coming on a four-pointer while the Beermen were scrambling to close the gap in the final minutes.
Earlier in the game, Trollano hurt his right hand after a hard fall while attempting a layup, further compounding his struggles.
He has become a lightning rod for TNT fans, who were irked by his comments when he was asked for a Finals prediction prior to the series.
Trollano, answering casually or perhaps in jest, said San Miguel would sweep the Finals, 4-0.
Jericho Cruz, the Finals MVP the last time San Miguel and TNT met in the Philippine Cup, was held to eight points on 4-of-9 shooting. Juami Tiongson had five, Chris Ross scored two, while veteran Marcio Lassiter was held scoreless.
CJ Perez was the lone San Miguel guard to reach double figures with 16 points, as most of the Beermen’s scoring came from the frontline of June Mar Fajardo, Mo Tautuaa and Rodney Brondial.
Turnovers
Fajardo led all scorers with 24 points, Tautuaa added 22, and Brondial chipped in 10, including baskets during San Miguel’s failed second-half comeback. Together, the trio accounted for more than half of the Beermen’s Game 1 output.
“Credit to TNT’s defense because they were trying to deny the wings the entry pass,” Austria said. “They had a very clear game plan to stop our bench, especially the perimeter shooters.”
One positive for San Miguel was its ability to nearly flip the game after falling behind by a wide margin, a stretch TNT attributed to its turnovers, which the Beermen converted into 25 points.
TNT coach Chot Reyes said those mistakes are issues his team cannot afford to repeat, even as he expressed satisfaction with its overall defensive effort.
“Every time we make a stop, we need to make sure we get a shot,” Reyes said. “Whether we make it or miss it doesn’t matter, as long as we don’t turn it over.
“Obviously, I’m happy we got the win, but there’s still so much we need to work on.”
******
Get real-time news updates: inqnews.net/inqviber
