Going the extra mile

TNT head coach Chot Reyes is considering increasing the minutes of veterans RR Pogoy and Kelly Williams in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup finals against formidable San Miguel Beer.

Sidelined by injuries for most of the semifinals, the duo played a vital role in the grand slam-seeking Tropang 5G’s thrilling but controversial best-of-seven series opener last Sunday.

Pogoy’s red-hot shooting in his return from a four-game absence due to a pulled hamstring led TNT’s offense, dropping 23 points on a 7-of-11 shooting from the field in a 99-96 win in Game 1 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

On the other hand, Williams, back after missing two games after sustaining an ankle sprain, did a great job putting up a body against Beermen center June Mar Fajardo in a starter role.

“We like to start him because he’s a good matchup for June Mar. So again, let’s hope that his ankle doesn’t swell up too much so that he can continue giving us minutes. He played, what, 27 minutes, Roger, 18 minutes,” Reyes said after TNT survived San Miguel’s furious fightback from 24 points down.

“So, hopefully, we can increase those minutes as the series goes on.”

Reyes praised his wards for playing through pain for an already battered club shooting to join the elite circle of triple crown winners.

“But, really, it’s a testament to the courage of these two guys, Roger and Kelly. Just being able, being ready to play through their injuries,” the 11-time champion mentor said.

The two are expected to lead once again the Tropang 5G’s charge for a 2-0 lead in Game 2, which is still being played at the same Cubao venue as of press time.

Reyes could only hope Pogoy and Williams will have enough fuel left in their tanks and endurance to withstand an expected inspired charge by San Miguel.

“They still have a lot of legs and wind to still put pressure defense until the fourth,” Reyes said about the Beermen’s fourth quarter uprising in Game 1.

“We don’t have the same strength because of the all the injuries that we are trying to manage.”

Meanwhile, Reyes hopes to address the turnover woes that bit TNT in Game 1.

The Tropang 5G looked poised to wrap an easy win after erecting a 24-point lead early in the third quarter following a torrid shooting in the first half.Errors, however, allowed the Beermen to mount a huge run including a 19-0 blitz to eventually overtake TNT.

A lucky break late in the game favored the Tropang 5G after the technical committee nullified San Miguel big man Mo Tautuaa’s dunk after a review with 6.2 seconds remaining that suddenly put TNT up by one.

“They got 22 points off turnovers from us. That’s a huge difference,” Reyes said after his team committed 15 turnovers.

“Can you imagine, if we just cut that in half, it could’ve prevented San Miguel from closing the gap. That’s what we need to address, our turnovers,” Reyes added.