FOR a long time, Troy Rosario and TNT went to war together, winning and losing championships along the way.
Now the two are on the same mission again, albeit on different sides of the fence.
In his first stint back in the PBA finals, Rosario found himself crossing path with his former team as Barangay Ginebra and TNT forged a title duel in the Commissioner’s Cup.
READ: Ginebra puts away NorthPort, arranges PBA Finals rematch vs TNT
Rosario said he expects both teams to play according to their potential in a best-of-seven series that certainly holds a special place in his heart.
“I’m excited, new team. Tapos former team ang makakalaban. Muli isang magandang series,” said Rosario after the Kings wrapped up their semifinals series against top seed Northport Batang Pier on Friday night.
The 33-year-old Rosario finished with 11 points and had two rebounds and two assists in the close out 126-99 win in Game 5 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
He sprained his right ankle while running side by side with Arvin Tolentino, but appeared fine after the game, assuring the one week break before the start of the finals on March 14 would be enough for him to rest, recover and play in his first finals appearance in close to three years.
READ: Despite ankle sprain, Rosario confident about returning for Ginebra-TNT finals
“After two and a half (years) yata. 2022 pa ako huli (nag finals),” said the big man product of National University, who began his career with TNT in 2015 after being acquired in a trade as the no. 2 overall by the KIA franchise in the rookie draft.
Rosario’s last finals stint came in the 2022 Philippine Cup between TNT and San Miguel, a best-of-seven series that went the full route and which the Beermen eventually won.
Two weeks after losing Game 7, he was traded by TNT to Blackwater in a three trade that also involved NLEX and players Calvin Oftana and Brandon Ganuelas Rosser.
After two years with the Bossing franchise, the 6-foot-7 Rosario became an unrestricted free agent and chose to take his act at Barangay Ginebra when his contract with Blackwater expired.
He’s playing in the finals right in his first conference with the Kings.
“Kailangan trabahuhin. 1-out-of-5 yata ako sa finals,” said Rosario, whose only championship with the telecommunication franchise came in the 2021 Philippine Cup bubble in Bacolor, Pampanga.
“Mabuting maka-dalawa.”
Not lost in Rosario had been the previous championship battles between TNT and Ginebra, including this year’s Governors Cup finals which the Tropang Giga won in six games.
“Yung finals (Governors Cup) sila rin ang nagtapat. So magandang series,” he said. “Hopefully, mabigay natin sa PBA fans yung gusto nilang laban.”
Certainly, Rosario going up against the Tropang Giga in his quest for a second championship adds more flair to the title series, most especially since he’ll be matched up against close friend and former frontcourt partner Poy Erram.
“Best friend ko (Erram) nandun din, so magandang match up,” he said.
And this early, Rosario already drew the line with regards to his friendship with Erram.
“Poy Erram, wala munang kai-kaibigan,” he said with a big smile on his face.
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