The TNT Tropang 5G and Chot Reyes are intimately familiar with the team they’re facing in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals: the Meralco Bolts.
After all, these same two teams met in the semis of the Philippine Cup earlier this year, with the Tropa hacking out a 4-1 series victory thanks to a magical Game 5 comeback down the stretch.
Now, months later, TNT and Meralco are again on a collision course, and Reyes knows all too well what’s in store for his team.
“That’s a complete team. They’re playing at a very high level,” Reyes said of the Bolts, who needed two games to dispatch the gritty Magnolia Hotshots.
Chot Reyes Already Knows the Keys to the Series
While wary of the Bolts and the level they’re at right now, Chot Reyes, perhaps unsurprisingly, already knows what the Tropa must do to come out on top again: defend, rebound, and match Meralco’s bruising style.
“If you remember in our elimination round game, Meralco beat us. So, they have so many offensive weapons that it’s incumbent upon us to number one defend well and rebound,” Reyes told reporters after TNT beat the NLEX Road Warriors a second time to advance to the semis. “They’re also one of the more physical teams in the league, and you see how teams are playing ball. So, we have to be able to cope with that and play through that.”
The Bolts, indeed, are physical, and best believe that they will test the Tropa—most notably Bol Bol—with that trademark physicality.
TNT Coaching Staff Will Be Challenged
Reyes also acknowledged he and his staff will be matching wits with an equally great coaching staff over at Meralco, led by Luigi Trillo and Nenad Vučinić.
“Very well coached. We all know the quality of the coaching staff. We have our work cut out for us…,” said Reyes after the NLEX game.
While Reyes might be right in his assessment of the situation, all signs point to TNT having the advantage over Meralco—from experience, to championship pedigree, to recent form.
But, knowing Chot Reyes, he probably isn’t looking at that at all.
