After an underwhelming first-half performance in Game 4 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals, TNT Tropang 5G import Chris McCullough turned things around after the halftime break and helped lead his team to a 106-98 victory, alongside sweet-shooting lefty Jordan Heading.
Afterward, CMac bared what he believes were the keys to TNT’s Game 4 win: defense and taking care of the ball.
“Play defense, stop turning the ball over,” he told Rebanse when asked about how the Tropa turned things around after losing Game 3 a couple of days earlier.
Same Recipe Moving Forward
With TNT’s Game 4 win, this championship series is now a best of three, and McCullough knows exactly how the Tropa can get to four wins first.
“Take one game at a time, play great team defense, same thing we did today. Don’t change nothing, just keep doing what we doing,” said CMac, who still tallied 24 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists despite a rough first half.
Playing good defense was certainly one thing TNT did very well in Game 4, especially in the third quarter when they limited Ginebra to just 15 points to turn a 53-50 halftime deficit into a 75-68 lead heading into the final period. And McCullough played a part in that, defending Brownlee in single coverage for most of the second half and doing a great job trapping on pick-and-rolls involving RJ Abarrientos.
Eyes on the Prize
Another thing going for TNT is that McCullough appears unbothered by his matchup with Brownlee, who won Best Import honors before Game 4. CMac tipped his hat to JB but stressed he isn’t making anything out of their head-to-head.
“I don’t even care about that [Brownlee winning Best Import]. I’m happy JB got it, I knew he was going to get it anyways,” McCullough said. “I wasn’t here too long but you know, we’re trying to get a championship. That’s the main thing, the main goal.”
That goal is within reach for CMac and TNT. Two games are all it takes.
