The TNT Tropang 5G leveled the PBA Philippine Cup Finals with a rousing 110-87 dismantling of the San Miguel Beermen on Wednesday. One big reason the Tropa were able to deal the Beermen such a thorough beatdown was because they followed the “48” mantra of Chot Reyes.
That 48, in this case, means 48 minutes of good basketball. And that’s exactly what the Tropang 5G gave in Game 4.
“The most important thing was we put up a whole, complete game,” Reyes said in the aftermath of Game 4. “The only thing that we wrote on the board was ‘48’; we wrote the number ‘48’ on our board because that’s the way to beat a team like San Miguel: play good basketball for 48 minutes. Last game, we played well for 36 minutes, and we lost in the end. In Game 2, we played a very poor first half. Today, we were able to come and deliver for the entire 48 minutes.”
Indeed, TNT outplayed San Miguel from the get-go and up until the final buzzer, refusing to let up even after building as much as a 35-point cushion at the halfway mark of the third quarter.
TNT Offense Fired on All Cylinders
Crucially, an explosive offense marked the Tropa’s strong 48-minute showing. Held to less than 100 points in each of the first three games of the Finals, TNT finally got its offense going in Game 4, thanks in large part to a 65-point first half. In all, the Tropang 5G shot 50% from the field and went 14-for-31 from distance in a scintillating display of firepower. This offensive explosion, according to Reyes, is another key to beating the Beermen—aside, of course, from playing well for 48 minutes.
“It was very important for us to get our offense untracked because the way to beat a team like San Miguel is to make sure you’re scoring on them,” Reyes pointed out. “We worked on that, talked long about that, and fortunately we shot well from the field for the first time this series.”
Now, Reyes and the rest of the Tropa will just need to figure out how to replicate their complete game two more times, starting in Game 5.
