TNT'S Game Five collapse may be a blow to anyone's confidence, especially this late in the championship series.
But to Jayson Castro, this loss won't deter the KaTropa even if they have their backs against the wall.
"Ok pa naman kami, positive pa naman kami kasi alam naman namin na para talunin mo yung best, kailangan mo talagang ibigay yung pinaka-best mo talaga sa kanila," he said after TNT's tough 99-94 loss to San Miguel on Wednesday in the 2019 PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals.
It was a disappointing outcome for the KaTropa, who held a 16-point lead, 85-69, with 10:43 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Things went south from that point on, with TNT going just 2-of-13 from the field and committing nine turnovers -- three of which coming from Terrence Jones -- as San Miguel mounted a comeback for the ages to move a win away from the crown.
"Yung execution talaga namin nung huli, hindi maganda. At the same time, hindi namin ma-control yung game," rued Castro, who finished with 18 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
The BPC, however, wanted to focus on the positives the KaTropa did like how they were able to control the game for the first three quarters.
"Controlled namin yung game. Yung mga adjustment naman na ginawa namin, effective naman," he said, maintaining his confidence that TNT can force the decider. "It happens in life talaga, winning and losing. So maging lesson na lang sa amin ito. It’s a challenge talaga sa amin, test din ng character kung paano kami maglaro sa Game Six."
"Kung sino naman ang unang maka-apat, di ba? Hindi pa naman tapos yung series. We have a chance pa naman na i-even yung series na ito sa Friday, para maka-force kami ng Game Seven. Hopefully sa Friday, makuha namin."
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