Chot wants more from other Tropa
As much as TNT Tropang Giga coach Chot Reyes is delighted to see the duo of Calvin Oftana and RR Pogoy play beautiful music together, he wants to see other players do their roles to achieve their goal.
The TNT lethal combo exploded for a combined 58 points in a 116-99 crushing of Rain or Shine in Game 1 of the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup best-of-three quarterfinals last Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“It’s part of the plan that we put together when we assembled this team. (That is) to have a potent combination that’s going to be hard to stop,” Reyes said after the forward and guard 1-2 punch did most of the damage for his squad.
Oftana recovered from a quiet ninepoint first half, firing 18 of his game-high 32 points in the third quarter when TNT made its move to create a significant separation, they sustained in a telling run in the final canto to seal the deal.
Pogoy added 26 points as Oftana and him combined for a sweet 23-of-37 field goal shooting including 6-of-11 clip from the outside.
“But we had games where both of them scored in the high 20s and we still lost. Both of them scoring is not enough. We still have to get support and contributions from everyone else,” Reyes said.
‘If we can get contributions from up and down our roster, that’s going to make their combination more potent.’
Fortunately for TNT, it wasn’t just the pair that gave the Elasto Painters a severe headache in the pivotal series opener.
Seasoned players Kelly Williams and Jayson Castro turned back the hands of time to put in 19 and 11 points, respectively, while providing veteran leadership that kept the Tropang Giga together in the tug-of-war of a match in the first three periods.
Bruisers Glenn Khobuntin and Jewel Ponferada as well as Kim Aurin and Kib Montalbo chipped in the much-needed intangibles especially on defense to shackle their lethal running opponents.
“If we can get contributions from up and down our roster, that’s going to make their combination more potent. As much as we love their offensive efficiency, it’s not enough to make us win unless the others do their role as well,” said Reyes, who can steer TNT to the best-of-seven semifinals with another win today at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
TNT would have to double up on its defensive scheme as Rain or Shine is sure to make the necessary adjustments after the league-leading team in fastbreak points was limited to just four on its transition offense.