RR Pogoy played seven hard-fought games in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals. And while the TNT Tropang 5G ultimately fell short of their goal to win the championship after losing Game 7 to Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, the veteran guard is nonetheless thankful that he finished the finale in the pink of health.
“Thankful ako kase natapos din, wala ng injury,” said the 34-year-old after the game. “Unang-una ‘yun talaga ang prayer ko na matapos talaga [itong finals] kasi nanghihinayang ako sa dalawang Finals ko na may dalawang game [na] hindi ako makalaro.”
Pogoy was referring to the 2023–24 PBA Governors’ Cup and the 2025–26 PBA Philippine Cup. In the former, TNT faced Ginebra, and Pogoy suffered a fractured pinky finger. In the latter, the Tropa played against the San Miguel Beermen, and the former FEU Tamaraw suffered a Grade 1 hamstring injury. TNT beat Ginebra but lost to San Miguel.
This time around, the Tropa fell short against Ginebra, but Pogoy showed how good he can be when fully healthy as he averaged 16.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.0 steal while being the primary defender of Justin Brownlee.
Pogoy Rues Teammates’ Injuries
While Pogoy stayed relatively healthy, the same can’t be said of his teammates, particularly Calvin Oftana, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, and Jayson Castro. Oftana was dealing with calf and foot issues for much of the conference, while BGR and Castro sustained sprains in Game 6. Naturally, the four-time champion couldn’t help but wonder how Game 7 would’ve turned out if the Tropa weren’t dealing with injuries—especially The Blur.
“Malaking bagay din talaga si Kuya Jayson [Castro], pero ‘di din natin masabi. Ganun talaga ‘yung basketball, may mananalo, may matatalo, so accept nalang,” Pogoy said.
Castro, who started Games 4 thru 6, didn’t play a single second in Game 7. Oftana and Ganuelas-Rosser played a couple of minutes apiece but were clearly hobbled.
Still Something to Be Proud Of
Despite coming up short of taking home the trophy, the Cebuano hotshot is still proud of what his team accomplished this conference, especially after its struggles in the elimination round.
“Ang dami naming pinagdaanan,” Pogoy pointed out. “Nanggaling kami sa eighth [seed], pumasok ng finals, injured ‘yung import, pero tignan mo, muntik na namin makuha ‘yung championship. Kaya grateful pa rin ako [and] super proud ako sa team ko.”
The Tropa finished the elimination round at 6-6 to secure the eighth seed. They beat the top-seeded NLEX Road Warriors twice in the quarterfinals and knocked out the Meralco Bolts in six games during the semifinals. They lost Bol Bol in the same series, forcing a late-conference import switch.
But, as Pogoy pointed out, TNT still came just a game short of winning it all again.
