The TNT Tropang 5G just couldn’t catch a break.
Just last season, the Tropang 5G were the toast of the town as they are on the verge of becoming only the fifth team to win a rare grand slam in the Philippine Basketball Association.
But before the year ended, their resident import, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, suffered a torn Achilles tendon while on loan to Meralco in the East Asia Super League.
A few weeks later, TNT saw its grand slam bid evaporate as its corporate rival, San Miguel Beer, emerged victorious in a dramatic six-game finale to lift the Philippine Cup title.
This conference, things again looked rosy for the Tropa.
TNT pulled off a massive recruiting coup when it enlisted the 7-foot-3 Bol Manute Bol, who was just a few months removed from a stint with the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association (NBA) when he signed up for the season-opening Commissioner’s Cup.
And Bol was as good as advertised.
The Sudanese-American son of NBA great Manute Bol took the league by storm with his brilliant display of guard-like athleticism and lethal perimeter shooting. He dropped 50 points multiple times in the elimination round before the Tropang 5G shocked topseed NLEX in the quarterfinals.
But winning a title with Bol terrorizing the paint wasn’t meant to be.
History cruelly repeated itself when Bol crashed with a torn left Achilles tendon in Game 2 of their semifinal series against Meralco. The injury was so severe that he had to be carried out of the court and into the hospital to undergo magnetic resonance imaging that will determine the extent of his injury.
Prior to leaving for New York to undergo surgery under the renowned Dr. Martin O’Malley of Manhattan, Bol was the leading candidate for Best Import award after averaging 35.8 points, 13.7 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and 1.7 assists.
Bol’s replacement for Game 3 was supposed to be Malick Diouf. Well, hiring the 6-foot-11 former University of the Philippines star seemed like a no-brainer as he has the size, the skills and the experience to supply the defensive presence that the Tropang 5G lost since Bol was spotted limping his way to the hospital.
Aside from that, playing for TNT — and eventually leading it to the title — will be a feel-good story for Diouf as it gives him a chance to repay the kindness of the MVP Group for facilitating his naturalization process that will enable him to play in international 3x3 events.
Also, he could have made history as the first University Athletic Association of the Philippines foreign student-athlete to suit up in an official PBA game.
Again, luck wasn’t on the TNT side.
Instead of banging bodies with Meralco import Marvin Jones in the crucial Game 3, Diouf was reduced into a mere cheerleader as the TNT management failed to secure necessary government clearances in time for tip-off.
Fortunately for the Tropang 5G, they were able to match the Meralco intensity until Roger Pogoy knocked down a clutch three-pointer in the final 7.4 seconds to eke out a pulsating 77-74 win that gave them a 2-1 series lead.
Now, TNT’s import woes appear to have been resolved with former San Miguel reinforcement Chris McCullough already in town and cleared to suit up for Game 4 on Wednesday.
But even with a new and championship-caliber import, Chot Reyes and his boys are surely refusing to get complacent, knowing that disaster can still strike until the fat lady sings. It’s either McCullough will lead them to the title or simply mess up the chemistry they worked so hard to develop.
