Editor's note: This is the second of four parts where we put the spotlight on each of the semifinalists of the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup.
Part 1 - NorthPort capable of beating Ginebra with its pace, youth, depth
IT IS certainly easier to look at TNT and say that the reason why it has been so good this conference is because it has an import in the caliber of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.
A part of it holds true, ‘cause ‘RHJ’ at this point of his career could still crack an NBA rotation and having him basically covers all your possible weak points is a luxury not all teams in the PBA have.
But solely putting the shine on Hollis-Jefferson is a disservice to how good the rest of the Tropang Giga have been this season – a squad who I felt many people may have overlooked once more this conference.
Calvin Oftana has emerged as one of the best local players in the league, RR Pogoy remains pretty dangerous and Rey Nambatac has embraced that combo-guard role emerging as more of a distributor for TNT this conference.
Jayson Castro still rises up in big moments, and they’ve surrounded their offensive weapons with a plethora of hard-working role players who can also explode at any given time in the form of Poy Erram, Glenn Khobuntin and Kim Aurin.
READ: TNT sends PBA guest team Eastern packing at Final Eight stage
Now the same crew will be looking to get the same results when they face off with revenge-seeking Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in another blockbuster seven-game series set on February 26.
The Tropang Giga put on a defensive masterclass by eliminating the Elasto Painters in five games last conference in the Governors’ Cup, grounding coach Yeng Guiao’s boys en route to another championship appearance, and PBA title.
Will history repeat itself for the Tropang Giga? Let’s see.
What makes this team so dangerous?
Sometimes when teams have become good at everything, there’s a tendency for people to look past that certain team and that’s exactly what’s become of TNT this conference.
Save for three-point shooting, which they’re really really good at, there’s really nothing that they’re doing that is eye-popping. But that doesn’t mean they’re bad as on the opposite, they’re doing everything seemingly right.
They’re hovering right in the middle when it comes to scoring per game, their defense – while it’s still pretty good – hasn’t been exactly the same as it was in the Governor’s Cup when it was just suffocating other teams with no mercy.
Still, they’re a net positive in almost every single aspect of the game – they don’t turn the ball over that much, while forcing it pretty good on the other end. They shoot the ball pretty well, they play with a pretty solid pace and they get to the line generally well.
They’re not the best in either of the categories we’ve mentioned above, but they’re pretty darn good in almost all facets of it. They’ve become pretty darn good at almost everything they’ve almost become uninteresting.
Humans generally pander towards the extremes – the organized chaos, people living on the edge, flawed characters, toxic heroes and what not.
Same with sports. Nobody panders to the safe bet. That’s the reason why despite being the most efficient franchise in the 00s, it wasn’t the San Antonio Spurs hogging the headlines.
It can be said that the very reason why they’re the least popular among the four teams competing is also the reason why they’re the most dangerous among them.
There’s a certain thrill in watching NorthPort and Rain or Shine because they’re young and inexperienced and it would be nice to see if they can overcome youth and inexperience.
READ: RHJ resolve tested as Ramadan coincides with TNT's playoff run
It’s going to be interesting as to how Ginebra fights through fatigue and its lack of depth.
Those things can’t be said about TNT. They’re experienced. They’re just coming off a championship, and save for Oftana, they’re pretty much intact heading into the FIBA window break.
They’re good. They’re primed to win now. They’re not the most popular squad. But this isn’t a popularity contest.
It’s a race to who can produce four wins quicker than the other team and TNT’s poised to be on-par, if not the favorites, against each and every team should they meet in a series.
Bombs away
Surprisingly, TNT has been one of the top three-point shooting teams in the league but having looked at Calvin Oftana’s numbers, it all started to make sense.
Oftana’s been by far the best sniper in the league, as in the elimination round, he’s made 45 of his 98 attempts, good for 3.7 threes a game on an ultra-efficient 45.9 percent shooting.
The guy next to him is Jordan Heading and he’s making 16 less threes while shooting at a still admirable, but noticeably lower, 40 percent from downtown.
But it’s not only Oftana who’s making it rain from three-points. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has also been lighting it up from that range, shooting 24 of his 60 attempts from that spot, good for 40 percent this conference.
As a team, TNT’s made the second most threes at 140 and while also having the second most efficient shooting rate at a 37.9 percent shooting this conference.
The good news is…
The thing about teams like TNT with returning CHAMPION imports like RHJ alongside a very familiar local core is that the higher the stakes are, the better it gets. Just look at Barangay Ginebra when Justin Brownlee is playing with them, it’s a totally different team.
And while they’re facing a more experienced Rain or Shine team months later, this is still at least when it comes to their core, the same Elasto Painters squad they’ve beaten in five games last conference.
Deon Thompson might give them different looks than the ones they’ve seen from Aaron Fuller, but that’s when having an import like Hollis-Jefferson is so valuable cause he can pretty much adjust to any playstyle of the opposing team’s import owing to his versatility on the defensive end.
With the assumption that they haven’t really deteriorated a few months since winning the Governors’ Cup title, and Rain or Shine hasn’t really gotten much better – then it’s fair to assume that TNT will still come in as the favorite in this match.
The player that will get TNT over the top is.. Rey Nambatac.
He’s not going to produce numbers like Oftana or RR Pogoy, and there would be a lot of games where Jayson Castro would outshine him with a vintage performance but his consistent play as both TNT’s lead facilitator and perimeter defender will be critical for this team.
Especially against an Elasto Painters squad boasting of players like Adrian Nocum, Anton Asistio and Andrei Caracut in their backcourt – players who can explode at any time.
“The Blur” is still going to be “The Blur” for TNT. But Nambatac must play at a consistently high level to give Castro the necessary reprieve and rest which will give him more energy to take over in late close games.
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