CHICAGO — After initially showing smirking disinterest in talking to the media, TNT import Bol Bol found himself in a hot mic jam on Sunday night.
Irony, like life, can be a bitch.
In a video, Bol was caught exiting his team’s Mall of Asia locker room and loudly voicing frustration following a close 93-86 loss to Barangay Ginebra.
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“They basically told me they didn’t want to win,” said a fuming Bol, who wasn’t exactly dominant in a 33-point outing where he shot 13-of-28 from the field.
But that’s beside the point.
Had TNT beaten Ginebra, the Tropang 5G would have moved up to a No.5 seed and face Meralco in the quarterfinals.
PICKING THEIR POISON?
The loss to the Gin Kings, however, dropped the Tropang 5G to No.8 seed and a more favorable match-up against top-seeded NLEX.
In a telephone interview on Monday night, TNT coach Chot Reyes denied tanking allegations.
“Hindi ba kami pwede matalo sa Ginebra?” said Reyes, sounding annoyed that he had to dignify the rumor with an answer.
Reyes pointed out that Roger Pogoy was out while Calvin Oftana played only 7:49 with a bum right foot.
“Our goal has always been to win every game we play,” he added while explaining that regardless of which team they face in the playoffs they still need to beat either Meralco or NLEX twice.
One theory about Bol’s comments suggest that the former NBA player may have been talking about the referees whom he confronted immediately after the game.
Maybe.
But one thing is clear: Bol hates losing, which is a great mindset to have given that TNT can’t afford one in the upcoming quarterfinals.
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