Tenorio dismisses Magnolia’s top seeding
KJ Buffen and Magnolia are ready to take on reigning champion TNT in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup best-of-five quarterfinals.
Photograph COURTESY OF PBA
Games today:
(Ynares Center-Antipolo)
5:15 p.m. — NLEX vs Phoenix
7:30 p.m. — Magnolia vs TNT
Magnolia’s hard-earned top seeding isn’t necessarily an advantage.
It is actually a bigger challenge as the Hotshots set a collision course with defending champion TNT in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Governors’ Cup best-of-five quarterfinals series.
Magnolia head coach LA Tenorio braces for a tough grind against the Tropang 5G today at the Ynares Center-Antipolo, knowing their No. 1 seeding against No. 4 TNT in the opening salvo of the playoffs won’t carry much weight at all.
“The prize of being number one (we’ll) face TNT and RHJ (Rondae Hollis-Jefferson),” Tenorio quipped as the Hotshots try to draw first blood in the 7:30 p.m. main game.
“Of course, TNT, has something extra. They’re a very seasoned team, very, very well coached, and they have the championship experience. Going into the quarterfinals, we just have to be ready and we have to be up to the challenge,” Tenorio added.
Magnolia marches into battle carrying the momentum of a red-hot six-game winning streak as it closed the group stage with a 7-3 win-loss record in Group B.
The Hotshots will take on a fully-loaded Tropang 5G side, whose deceiving 7-5 card in Group A hides what TNT is packing now that most of its key players have already returned, including three-time Best Import Hollis-Jefferson, veteran guard Jayson Castro, Poy Erram and Calvin Oftana.
Although the Tropang 5G are coming off a 112-114 loss to Converge to end the elimination round, Tenorio remains wary of TNT especially with decorated mentor Chot Reyes and his son, Josh, calling the shots.
“Of course, knowing coaches Chot and Josh, they’ll surely give us a hard time. So we have to be on point in everything we do,” Tenorio said.