IN the course of 49 years, it's only been achieved five times by four PBA teams, which is why the quest is often described as "rare" and "ambitious."
But when the Tropang 5G, on the heels of back-to-back championships. entered this Philippine Cup conference, the triple crown bid was realistic, doable.
Despite the absence of two point guards, Jayson Castro and Rey Nambatac, TNT had managed by plugging in pieces such as Simon Enciso and Jordan Heading, giving them more than just a puncher's chance to pull off the improbable.
READ June Mar Fajardo raises the bar, targets grand slam next
And then injuries plagued them.
Kelly Williams turned an ankle. Roger Pogoy strained a hamstring. Poy Erram also twisted an ankle before undergoing surgery for a meniscus tear while Enciso fractured an orbital bone.
WOUNDED, DEFEATED.
If St. Luke's hospital had a gym, the Tropang might have been better off holding practices there instead of the Moro Lorenzo court inside the campus of Ateneo.
"We've been having bad second halves because of legs not holding up," a TNT official, who requested anonymity, said.
And that was exactly the case in Friday night's Game Six where TNT hung tough and went ahead, 25-23, after one quarter of play as Calvin Oftana shot 5-of-5 from the field.
Sadly, the dam broke.
After taking a 47-46 lead, the Tropang 5G fell into a 76-58 hole at the 5:12 mark of the third quarter. That was the game right there, a 30-11 run that San Miguel used as a flashpoint of a 107-96 victory..
It required winning both the Governors' and Commissioner's Cups for TNT to be in a position to capture a grand slam. It took just a blurry eight minutes and one second of that Game Six for San Miguel to extinguish a rival's dream.
UNSTOPPABLE FORCE.
When not dealing with internal issues, the Tropang 5G also battled external forces, foremost of which was 6-foot-11, 268-lb giant June Mar Fajardo,.
The eight-time MVP had 24 points, 12 rebounds and three assists. He was automatic, 11-of-12 from the field, asserting his unbridled dominance in the all-Filipino conference.
After an extended bout with mediocrity which resulted in uncharacteristically long stints on the bench, CJ Perez came to life with 24 points and six assists.
Chris Ross and Jericho Cruz sank a combined five triples for a total haul of 23 points while Mo Tautuaa chipped in 10 points and four boards.
Led by Oftana's 19 points and Williams' 17, TNT fought a good fight. It just didn't have the horses to outpace a loaded San Miguel squad.
To paraphrase the principles of Gestalt psychology, this TNT grand slam dream just wasn't meant to be.
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