Justin Brownlee should’ve been called for a foul in the TNT Tropang 5G’s last play in Game 1 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals. That’s according to Calvin Oftana, who couldn’t convert on TNT’s last‑ditch alley‑oop in part because of Brownlee’s interference.
“Alam ko may foul talaga eh,” Oftana told reporters after Ginebra’s razor‑thin 102‑100 victory in Game 1 on Wednesday. “Pero point‑six seconds na lang yung time, talagang glimpse of an eye na lang yung nangyari. Talagang dinraw ni coach [Chot Reyes] ‘yung play na yun.”
Reyes, to his credit, drew up a great play that the Tropa executed beautifully. Truth be told, Oftana probably would’ve made it if not for Brownlee’s last‑second challenge. And a made basket there would’ve sent Game 1 to overtime, with momentum likely on TNT’s side.
Oftana, Tropa Hope to Clean Up Game 1 Mistakes
While Oftana—and, really, the entire Tropa for that matter—maintains a foul should’ve been called on the play in question, he isn’t dwelling on it anymore. Instead, he is focusing on Game 2, where the Tropa will look to play better in the first three quarters rather than just rely on a big fourth‑quarter wind‑up.
“Ganun talaga, pero mahaba pa naman yung series, so move forward na lang and adjust sa Game Two,” Oftana pointed out. “Mas maiisip mo ‘yung first half namin. Ang sama din kasi, dami naming turnovers. They’re making their shots. Kami naman, dami namin mali.”
Indeed, TNT committed most of their 15 turnovers in the first three quarters, where Ginebra built as much as a 72‑56 lead on the strength of some blazing‑hot three‑point shooting and a lackluster, error‑filled first half from the Tropa. The Tropang 5G looked so disjointed in that stretch, in fact, that they even left RJ Abarrientos, the league’s leading scorer this conference, open from the arc at least three times.
Even so, TNT very nearly stole Game 1 from Ginebra.
