Their series being projected to become a defensive battle, TNT and Meralco played thru a game of spurts and the more experienced Tropang 5G came out with plenty to spare in completing a come-from-behind 100-95 triumph and taking the head start in their PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven semifinals series Sunday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Tropang 5G fought back from a 21-point deficit in the first half as their defense didn’t go as planned and watched the Bolts torching them for 62 points in the first 24 minutes of play. Meralco went off to a fantastic start, shooting an explosive 65.2% in the first period alone while unloading 38 points.
Fired up by coach Chot Reyes at the half after seeing his team trailing 31-52 at one stretch, the Tropang 5G fought back and held the Bolts to just 22.2% from the field in the third period. TNT also outscored Meralco, 28-13, and turned the match into an exciting wind up.
“We just challenged our players to defend,” said TNT coach Chot Reyes. “I thought it the first half, we were relying too much in our help defense and Meralco did a great job picking us apart. Credit to them, they really came out with a really good game plan, so at half time, I told the players that whatever defensive scheme we came up with, if your man is getting all the way to the rim, then no defensive game plan is going to work.”
Down the stretch, it was Calvin Oftana, who presided. He picked up from where he left off as his team’s lone bright spot in the first period, then essayed his role as the Tropang 5G’s best closer. The 6-foot-5, former NCAA Most Valuable Player, finished with 28 points, nine of those came in the fourth.
It was a game practically dominated by Meralco, which came out of this semifinals series oozing with confidence, especially after coming off a quarterfinal win and defeating No.2 seed Rain or Shine twice in a row.
Down the stretch, Oftana and the rest of the Tropang 5G showed their championship poise.
Rey Nambatac contributed 17 points, Roger Pogoy added 16 and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser came away with a double-double performance of 16 points and 10 rebounds.
