TNT Tropang Giga star Calvin Oftana has nothing but respect for his Gilas Pilipinas teammates in Barangay Ginebra despite having their numbers in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) finals head-to-head.

For the third time in his career, Oftana lifted the championship trophy at the expense of the Kings bannered by national team standouts resident Ginebra import Justin Brownlee, Japeth Aguilar, Scottie Thompson, Jamie Malonzo and Troy Rosario.

The Tropang Giga bagged their 11th title overall after a thrilling seven-game series win capped by an exciting 87-83 winner-take-all overtime decision last Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

TNT won its second straight title of the season over the Kings after winning the Governors’ Cup and third overall since the 2023 edition of the same conference but not after getting pushed to the limit.

In fact, the Tropang Giga went down 2-3 in before rallying to complete a come-from-behind series triumph.

“Hats off to coach (Tim Cone) and his team. You’ve witnessed how exciting our competition was, from Game 1 to Game 7. It was a hard-fought series,” Oftana said.

The 29-year-old forward played under Cone in Gilas’ road games in a pocket tournament in Doha before an unsuccessful campaign in the third window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers in Taiwan and New Zealand.

Oftana averaged 11.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.0 steals per game in the finals.

He also played a vital role in the dramatic Game 7 escape witnessed by a 21,274-strong crowd.

The forward iced the extension with a dagger layup after picking the loose ball with 6.3 seconds left.

“You can see how difficult it was for both teams. From defense, the strategy of the coaches — all veteran coaches. So, we stick to the plan, our plan, and our mindset of playing good defense,” he said.

TNT’s title conquest puts the club on the threshold of a historic grand slam with the season-ending Philippine Cup unfolding on Friday.

So far, Crispa, who did it twice, San Miguel, Alaska and San Mig Coffee are the only grand slam-winning squads.