On Friday, the TNT Tropang 5G lost a heartbreaker to Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, 100-95, in overtime at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. And they noticeably played extra time without Calvin Oftana, one of their best players and a league superstar.
It turns out, Oftana’s right foot injury is bothering him a lot. Postgame, Oftana tol reporters he has been specifically dealing with a wound infection for some time now and that in Game 5, the painkillers had worn off in regulation and overtime. This, according to him, affected his ability to stay on the floor.
“Wala, ‘yung sa sugat ko lang [sa paa] and siyempre sabi ko kay coach hindi ko na kaya kase parang nawala na ‘yung bisa ng painkiller,” Oftana told reporters.
A day after TNT’s loss, Oftana’s wife, Ena, took to social media and shared information on what her husband has been dealing with, describing it as an “ulcer sa web face ng foot nya.” She also revealed that the wound was already infected and that it cannot heal properly because the veteran forward insists on playing rather than choose complete recovery. She further bared that Oftana had begun taking painkillers as early as May and that they aren’t working as well anymore. She then appealed to fans to be kinder to the Gilas mainstay, whom she said gives his heart to basketball.
Oftana Is Struggling
After his offensive explosion in Game 2, where he poured in 31 points to lead TNT to victory, Oftana has struggled to make a similar impact on the offensive end and has not been a major contributor to the Tropa’s scoring in the succeeding games.
In their most recent loss, the 30-year-old finished with just 9 points and 7 rebounds despite logging 40 minutes of playing time. Whenever he was on the floor, Oftana’s mobility appeared to be far from his usual level, while TNT’s offense also rarely ran through him, limiting his opportunities to contribute in scoring.
“Matagal na ’to eh, nagsimula ‘yung infection last elimination pa. Hindi kase siya gagaling basta-basta kase kulob siya, laging nasa sapatos and palaging nagagalaw,” Oftana pointed out. “So, after lang nito talagang papa-opera na and sana sana mabilis ‘yung recovery.”
TNT, Oftana Looking to Force Game 7
Now with their backs against the wall, the former San Beda Red Lion rued TNT’s missed opportunities as he looks forward to forcing a decider in this PBA Commissioner’s Cup finale.
“I trust my teammates naman. May mga shots kami na open, hindi lang talaga napasok. ‘Yun talaga ‘yung collapse—kung na-shoot lang namin, diba? Ilang open shots yun, kay Kuya Jayson [Castro], kay Roger [Pogoy].”
In the final 19 seconds of the fourth quarter, RR Pogoy had a crucial steal with the score tied at 89 to give The Tropa the final possession in regulation. They got a great shot out of it, but Jayson Castro airballed his wide-open three-pointer.
Then in overtime, Pogoy himself missed an open trey off an offensive rebound that would’ve tied the game at 98.
“Sabi ko nga, ’di araw-araw Pasko diba? Si Roger mainit na sa simula pero yun nga, yun yung nangyari,” Oftana stressed.
Still, Oftana remains defiant as he hopes to extend this series to a winner-take-all.
“Hindi pa naman tapos eh. May next game pa kami na bumawi and sana umabot pa ng Game 7,” he said.
Game 6 happens later tonight at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, with no team having been able to win back-to-back games yet.
In the current Commissioner’s Cup Finals, neither team has managed to win back-to-back games so far—a trend that could bode well for Calvin Oftana and the rest of TNT as they look to bounce back this Sunday.
