A case can be made that the TNT Tropang Giga has had the number of the Justin Brownlee-led Barangay Ginebra San Miguel. After all, they beat the crowd darlings in the Finals of each of the past two PBA Governors’ Cup.
Even so, TNT coach Chot Reyes knows his team will need to do something special if they want to get one over Ginebra again in their much-anticipated clash later tonight. And it is no ordinary five either. It is a squad that Reyes himself described as “much better and highly upgraded” in the aftermath of TNT’s 94-87 victory over the NLEX Road Warriors on Wednesday.
Indeed, Reyes is right. Ginebra now has Troy Rosario, a versatile big who has been excelling for his dream team. The crowd darlings also have the high-flying Jamie Malonzo back after missing over seven months of PBA action. Both are widely seen as among the better forwards in the league. They also weren’t part of the Ginebra team that lost to TNT in the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals.
Now, Rosario and Malonzo are reinforcing a squad gearing up for the playoffs.
TNT Will Be Ready for Ginebra
While Reyes acknowledges the tall order that is beating a healthy Ginebra, he trusts in his team’s will to win and ability to figure things out.
“This team, we know how to put our head down and grind it out and put in the work. Tonight [TNT’s win over NLEX], I think, was a good example,” Reyes told reporters. “Our game wasn’t pretty at all. Shots weren’t falling. But we found a way to win. The most important thing first is to find a way to compete. To have the will to compete. Then you can find a way to win. So, hopefully we can do that again on Friday.”
Reyes also knows his team will certainly be up for the challenge—even with just one day off.
“The problem is we have one day off. We’ll basically walk through stuff tomorrow at practice, talk about Ginebra. And they’re going to be pretty well rested coming into tomorrow. But that’s a good challenge. It’s a good challenge for us to have,” Reyes added.
Then again, TNT also presents a good challenge for Ginebra. And both teams are very much in the hunt for the twice-to-beat advantage, with the former at 5-2 and the latter at 6-3. That makes tonight’s game a definite must-watch.
Game time is at 7:30 p.m. at the PhilSports Arena.
