PERHAPS the most overused adage in sports are the words ‘never underestimate the heart of a champion,’ but that proved to be true on Game 5 as TNT stayed alive in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals after surviving San Miguel, 86-78, on a rainy Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
It wasn’t even about the grand slam anymore for the Tropang 5G that game as it was all about living to fight another day – Friday at the PhilSports Arena to be exact.
They forced Game 6 by going back to their defensive roots, the very reason why they’re in the hunt for a grand slam to begin with, while getting significant contributions from everyone on offense, led by Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser.
Here we look at some of the takeaways from TNT’s brave stand in Game 5.
BGR SHOWS TRUE POTENTIAL ON BOTH ENDS
Versatility has always been Ganuelas-Rosser’s strongest suit, with his dependable outside shot alongside his size and God-given athleticism making him invaluable to any team he plays for.
But by not settling for those long bombs and focusing on locking down the paint on both ends, Ganuelas-Rosser came out with his best game yet for TNT.
The 30-year-old forward-center finished with 18 points on 9-14 shooting – with most of his shots coming from inside the paint, while only taking one attempt from beyond downtown on this night.
BGR locking down the paint gives TNT an added dimension, as he gives the driving TNT guards options to either take it strong, drop the ball to him or kick it out to the red-hot Kelly Williams also playing that stretch-big role to perfection by knocking down four treys.
And defensively? He was an anchor – the man who truly held the Tropang 5G’s defense together. Ganuelas-Rosser finished with five blocks and three steals in the game and the most impressive thing? He played aggressive and stayed out of foul trouble in this game.
TNT TAKES IT TO THE KRAKEN
With San Miguel threatening late in the fourth quarter, TNT didn’t have to make things complicated to hold on — they just simply haunted June Mar Fajardo on the two-man game and it worked wonders for them.
For all his brilliance and dominance, the eight-time MVP’s struggles in pick-and-roll coverage is well documented and TNT made sure to exploit that in the fourth quarter.
The Tropang 5G, after all, have players who live off the two-man game, and that’s exactly what RR Pogoy, Jordan Heading, Almond Vosotros and Calvin Oftana did late in the fourth quarter, as they took turns in attacking the Cebuano great in the fourth period.
IS GAME SIX ‘MUST WIN’ FOR SMB?
It was truly an impressive win for TNT in Game 5, with the wounded champions showing grit in taking the courageous win over San Miguel to halt the latter’s momentum and live to fight another day.
The Beermen, however, remain the favorite to take this series as they still got two more chances to seal the deal for them.
For their sake, things better end on Game 6.
Allowing TNT to drag this series into a winner-take-it-all Game 7 could spell disaster for San Miguel as not only will it put all the pressure on SMB, TNT’s also pretty darn good in do-or-die games.
Then you factor in the grand slam motivation. At this point, with everything the TNT Tropang 5G have gone through, the grand slam pressure will be the last thing on their minds on a Game 7 especially with the finish line within sight for the battle-tested boys of coach Chot Reyes.
Allowing TNT to extend a Game 6 is already San Miguel playing with fire. Letting the Tropang 5G take it to Game 7 might already get them burned.
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