IF he only had his way, TNT coach Chot Reyes doesn’t want to be asked anymore about the possibility of winning a rare Grand Slam.
But admittedly, Reyes said he can no longer evade those queries after the Tropang Giga won the second conference of the 49th season – the Commissioner’s Cup. They defeated Barangay Ginebra, 87-83, in overtime to wrest their second straight title of the season following their Governors’ Cup title win against the same Gin Kings squad.
READ: TNT outlasts Ginebra in Game 7 classic to win back-to-back titles
“I guess it couldn’t be avoided at this point, right? And I hope this is the last time you ask me about it,” Reyes said smiling.
“But yes, I acknowledge that fact now,” he added.
Reyes admitted being on the fringe of a Grand Slam is huge pressure for TNT, especially since all teams will most definitely be playing their best when facing them.
“There is going to be tremendous pressure on us. There’s going to be a huge target on our backs. Of course, 11 other teams are going to do their darn best to stop us,” said Reyes.
Reyes has been here before. Talk ‘N Text won the Philippine and Commissioner’s Cups during the 2010-11 season, and was one win away from capturing the Governors’ Cup crown when it forced a Game 7 of the finals, but eventually lost to San Miguel.
Three years later, San Mig Coffee, coached by Tim Cone, won a Grand Slam.
If Reyes wins another title in the Philippine Cup, he would join Baby Dalupan (Crispa), Tommy Manotoc (Crispa), Norman Black (San Miguel), and Cone (Alaska, San Mig Coffee) on the list of coaches who won a Grand Slam.
At the moment, Reyes said the focus should solely be on winning the Philippine Cup - and not thinking about what that actually entails, which is the league's rare hat-trick of trophies.
TNT gotta do it without RHJ
Reyes also admitted it will be tough to win another championship in the all-Filipino, where they will have to be without Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.
“As you can see, we don’t really have the best talent, we really don’t have the deepest bench. But there is something in our players. They just refuse to quit,” said Reyes.
“That’s what we are going to bring in this next conference. I’ve learned all my life that if you work hard, you put yourself in a good chance that good things will happen. It’s not a guarantee, but at least, you put yourself in a good position. That’s what we’ve done.”
“With this victory, we put ourselves in that position. You can bet that we will work even harder, and try our best not necessarily to capture the Grand Slam, but because there is another tournament, another competition in front of us, and that’s what we are going to do.”
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