The TNT Tropang 5G are just two wins away from reaching the PBA Philippine Cup Finals. This comes after the Tropa’s command performance in Game 2, which saw them overwhelm what looked like an overmatched Meralco Bolts squad.
That dominant outing probably should not come as a surprise, especially with the TNT coaching staff emphasizing ahead of Game 2 that the Tropa needed to be better after an uneven Game 1.
“We wrote on the board at the very top of our board today just the word ‘better,’” said Chot Reyes in the aftermath of TNT’s Game 2 masterclass. “We wanted to be better than the first half of the last game. We wanted to be better than the entire game of the last game, and that’s simply our thinking and our mentality coming into this ballgame. Better defense, better rebounding, better execution, better effort, better communication.”
TNT Was Better for Sure
The Tropa certainly were better in Game 2—so much better, in fact. They shot better than Meralco and executed beautifully throughout. They also defended far more consistently and ferociously, resulting in the Bolts playing from behind for the entire game.
Now with a 2-0 series lead, human nature dictates that TNT could have a drop-off by looking past a seemingly rattled adversary and ahead to the Finals. Reyes, though, is making sure none of that happens, preaching to the Tropa the need to focus solely on Game 3.
“Right now, what’s in front of us is Game 3. We’re not thinking about anything yet beyond Game 3,” Reyes added. “Tomorrow, we’re going to go back to practice, going to watch video and see where we can improve, and hope we can anticipate what Meralco’s next move is.”
The Bolts’ next move should be to play better in Game 3. But is Meralco’s brand of better enough against TNT’s better?
Game 3 of this series is later today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Tipoff is at 5:15 p.m.
