The San Miguel Beermen entered Game 4 looking to seize control of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals, while the TNT Tropang 5G were aiming for the equalizer. But of the two, only TNT played with a palpable sense of urgency, and it paid off handsomely as the Tropa hacked out a dominant 110–87 victory to level the series at two games apiece.
What Happened?
TNT seized Game 4 almost right from the get-go, unleashing a 13–0 run to build an early 17–6 lead before extending it to 35–18 on a desperation half-court heave by Jordan Heading. The Tropa weren’t done, though, as they extended that lead to as much as 26 at one point in the second quarter before settling for a 65–40 halftime cushion.
There was going to be no comeback for San Miguel, as TNT continued the onslaught in the second half, building its lead to as much as 82–47 past the halfway mark of the third quarter. The Tropa cruised to the Game 4 win from that point on, as the Beermen couldn’t muster even a semblance of a rally.
Who Stood Out?
Heroes were aplenty for TNT in Game 4. Jordan Heading and Rey Nambatac, starting together for the first time this conference, got the Tropa going early as they dissected San Miguel’s pick-and-roll defense. Heading finished with 17 points and 6 assists, while Nambatac had 13 points and 5 rebounds. Calvin Oftana, meanwhile, was superb, firing a game-high 29 points on 11-for-18 shooting from the field. Kelly Williams was also steady, adding 8 points and 3 rebounds while playing excellent defense on the newly minted Best Player of the Conference, June Mar Fajardo.
San Miguel, on the other hand, just didn’t have anyone who picked up the slack in the face of TNT’s onslaught. Fajardo tried his best and came away with 18 points and 16 rebounds but could not lift his team after that poor first half.
3 Keys to the Game
- Defense. TNT swarmed the Beermen all game long, and the latter’s 21 turnovers are proof of it. That tight defense also held San Miguel to just 41.9% shooting from the field. That percentage was even lower in the first three quarters, when the Beermen couldn’t seem to find the basket.
- Three-point shooting. Finally, the Tropa’s shooting from distance clicked, and San Miguel looked clueless on how to defend it. In all, the Tropa went 14-for-31 from beyond the arc, including 10-for-14 in the first half alone. That red-hot shooting translated to a 50–26 advantage in perimeter points for TNT.
- Starters show up. For all the talk about bench play being the difference-maker, it was the starting unit of TNT that stamped its class in Game 4. Heading and Nambatac, again, were sensational to start the game, while Oftana was sizzling throughout. Those three alone outscored San Miguel’s starters, 59–38. In all, the Tropa’s starters had 70 points, as opposed to the 38 scored by the Beermen’s first five.
Next Up for the PBA
PBA Philippine Cup Finals action resumes on Friday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m.
