THE question of which team TNT will be facing in the PBA 49th Season Philippine Cup finals will be answered on Wednesday night when San Miguel and Barangay Ginebra square off in Game 7 of their semifinal duel at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
We now look way ahead to the PBA Philippine Cup Finals by examining the two possible opponents of TNT, their head-to-head encounters, key match-ups, and a burning question for the Tropang 5G based on the two potential championship foes.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
San Miguel
The Beermen have only faced the Tropang 5G twice this season, and lost in both occasions which happened during the elimination round. TNT defeated SMB, 115-97, in their Commissioner’s Cup encounter last January 26, and repeated it again on May 4 in the Philippine Cup, 94-89, in games which both happened at the Ynares Center-Antipolo.
Barangay Ginebra
TNT has a win-loss record of 11-6 against Barangay Ginebra this season including its 4-2 win in the finals of the Governors’ Cup and 4-3 in the championship round of the Commissioner’s Cup. The Gin Kings, however, won their most recent clash during the elimination round of the Philippine Cup last June 8 by the score of 97-78.
KEY MATCH-UPS
Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser vs. Japeth/June Mar
Poy Erram may be starting most of the time for TNT, but Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser has been finishing games and had an excellent showing in the semifinals against Rain or Shine. But come the finals, he is expected to face stiff competition regardless of which team TNT faces in the finals.
Japeth Aguilar is enjoying one of his best conferences of his career, although his performance as of late has dipped a bit due to varying reasons including a cramp issue in Game 6. But when healthy, Aguilar, can pose problems against BGR with his athleticism, and, more importantly, experience in a finals atmosphere.
No one is an even bigger threat than the eight-time MVP June Mar Fajardo, whose post moves, sheer strength inside, and an improved medium-range shot serving as a nightmare for opposing centers. Fajardo will have to deal with BGR’s athleticism and his outside range, but when he is down low, he is almost unstoppable.
Stephen Holt/Jericho Cruz vs. Oftana/Pogoy
Thrown in a role to neutralize Rondae Hollis-Jefferson in two previous finals series against TNT, Stephen Holt will now have someone different to defend if Barangay Ginebra reaches the finals.
Perhaps the candidates for that are TNT’s top scorers Calvin Oftana, RR Pogoy, and even Jordan Heading. The three players were the leading scorers in terms of average during the Rain or Shine series with Oftana and Pogoy registering 19.7 and 19.5 respectively, followed by Heading with 14.3. Their scoring will be tested if they face Holt and the rest of Barangay Ginebra again in the finals.
If it's not Holt who TNT will be facing, Oftana, Pogoy, and even Heading could still be in for a battle against Jericho Cruz, who can provide tough, bruising defense for SMB.
RR Pogoy vs. Thompson/Perez
RR Pogoy may be known for his offense as of late with the big shots he has been making in the quarterfinals and in the semifinals before going down with a hamstring injury. But Pogoy has always been known for his defense, and he is expected to be going up against the top stars of the other team who plays a similar position.
If San Miguel reaches the finals, Cjay Perez will also be the focus of the TNT defense on the offensive end aside from June Mar Fajardo. If Ginebra advances, Scottie Thompson will have to be contained not only with his scoring ways but his ability to rebound and facilitate. Pogoy is expected to be thrust into that role of defending the best player on the other team.
RJ Abarrientos/Juami Tiongson vs. Jordan Heading
With Jayson Castro and Rey Nambatac out for the coming finals, RJ Abarrientos, if he goes on to advance to the finals again, would face a different point guard in Jordan Heading. Incidentally, Abarrientos and Heading where once teammates at Gilas Pilipinas when the head coach was Tab Baldwin, and they will potentially face each other if TNT and Ginebra battle for a trilogy. Before Game 7, Abarrientos and Heading are the top two in assists during the semifinals.
If San Miguel is the one which goes to to the finals, it is going to be Juami Tiongson who could be up against Heading. Look out for their three-point shots when they meet in the finals.
BURNING QUESTIONS FOR TNT IN THE FINALS
Can TNT contain June Mar Fajardo?
TNT would be facing eight-time MVP June Mar Fajardo if San Miguel progresses to the finals. Though the Tropang 5G won two games against SMB this season, TNT previously lost when they faced each other in the Philippine Cup finals during the 2022-23 season with Fajardo being named as the Finals MVP. Fajardo churned out one of his best games of the season against TNT as well when he collected a conference-high 34 points and 13 rebounds during the Commissioner’s Cup eliminations.
The good news for TNT is that they now have a lot of bigs to battle with Fajardo. Aside from Poy Erram and Kelly Williams, the Tropang 5G now have Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser to serve as an additional body against Fajardo.
Being familiar foes all season, is Ginebra now catching up on TNT?
Ginebra may not have the better record overall against TNT this season, but it seems like they are catching up after they faced each other twice in the finals. Don’t forget that Ginebra already had a 3-2 lead in the Commissioner’s Cup Finals before TNT captured the last two games. And the Gin Kings won by a mile over the Tropang 5G in their elimination round campaign in the Philippine Cup.
One thing good going for TNT is that Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who won all his three championships at the expense of Ginebra, may not be around for the finals of the all-local tournament, but so is Justin Brownlee. You can also argue that the TNT now is a lot different from the TNT team of the past two conferences with Jordan Heading, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, and Simon Enciso now in the team, and Jayson Castro and Rey Nambatac injured.
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