IT’S not the kind of debut Donte Greene had wished for.
But bottomline, TnT Katropa got the W, and it’s the most important for him.
Greene struggled to find his range and the Texters needed a strong finishing kick to hurdle luckless Blackwater Elite, 92-89, in Friday’s PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
More than a week since arriving in the country, Green finally got to play his first game on local soil in what he termed as a ‘rough outing’ for him.
A first round pick of the Memphis Grizzlies (28th) in the 2008 NBA Draft, Greene, 29, finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds, but was 9-of-28 from the field (1-of-5 from three-point range) and committed four turnovers in 36 minutes of play.
“That was terrible,” he pointed out. “Nine-of-28 shooting? That was terrible.”
“It didn’t go out as planned,” he said. “Shots weren’t falling. It looked good, it felt, it just didn’t go in.”
[See Roger Pogoy takes over as TNT pulls off great comeback vs Blackwater]
Blackwater counterpart Greg Smith, also a former NBA player, likewise had 22 points, but grabbed 31 rebounds in another losing cause for the Elite (0-4).
Greene had seven points in the final period when the Texters rallied from a 63-73 deficit to outscore the Elite, 29-16, and notch their second straight win for a 2-1 record.
“My teammates are great, they helped me a lot,” said Greene, who took over the job from NBA veteran Lou Amundson. “They just tell me where I need to be. They help me on both offense and defense. My teammates did a great job.”
Greene hopes to do his part the when TnT returns to action next Friday against NLEX.
“Got some things to go back and work on. And hopefully have a better game next Friday,” he said.
He also vowed to double his output if ever.
“I need to. That’s what I’m here for,” Greene stressed. ”I need to play much better.”
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