Are the TNT Tropang 5G the new never-say-die team?
“I can tell you it’s not by design,” TNT head coach Chot Reyes said when asked if the mantra popularized by Barangay Ginebra has rubbed off on his team.
For the Tropang 5G, emulating the never-say-die spirit is necessary, considering the adversities they went through and will still face in trying to achieve the ultimate goal of completing a grand slam in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
From a bad start to facing elimination. From crippling injuries and absences to suspension and the tall task of punching through a formidable and dangerous championship foe, pretty much sums up TNT’s campaign in the season-ending Philippine Cup.
But quitting or even the thought of surrendering is never an option for the resilient Tropang 5G.
Not when TNT is just four wins away from joining the elite club of triple crown winners.
The Tropang 5G went through rough patches before barging into a third straight Season 49 finals appearance, this time against behemoth June Mar Fajardo and the San Miguel Beermen.
Game 1 of the best-of-seven series — a rematch of the 2022-23 edition — is being played as of press time at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“We’re not doing it intentionally, but I think it just got honed over the years of us playing together. You can ask the players, they can make mistakes, they can make errors, but the one thing that is unforgivable for us is that if they don’t give their best, they will really hear it from me. I’ve been very consistent with that,” the 11-time champion mentor said.
“I guess that habit got built by never giving up and always trying your best.”
It was quite a bumpy road for TNT following its title conquests in the import-laden Governors’ Cup and Commissioner’s Cup over no less than the Kings themselves.
As if adjusting their game sans three-time Best Import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson wasn’t difficult enough, the Tropang 5G marched into the all-Filipino conference without veteran leader Jayson Castro after suffering a season-ending knee injury in the semifinals of the previous tournament.
Still tired and sore from the Commissioner’s Cup finals, TNT dropped its first three games.
But just when the Tropang 5G found their groove, it’s the injury bug’s turn to pester.
Commissioner’s Cup Finals Most Valuable Player Rey Nambatac went down with a pulled groin just six games into the tournament, joining Castro whom he was supposed to fill in on an early vacation.
Backup guard Jielo Razon also underwent an appendectomy, compounding an already depleted backcourt.
But TNT soldiered on and eventually entered the playoffs, albeit in a twice-to-win disadvantage over third-seeded Magnolia in the quarterfinals.
Even with the odds stacked against them, the Tropang 5G pulled off an upset by surviving elimination with back-to-back cardiac games won by a single point to advance in the semifinals against a familiar foe in the highly physical run-and-gun team Rain or Shine.
Injuries hit TNT once again with Brian Heruela missing a couple of games nursing a sore foot, but the biggest blow was when scoring guard RR Pogoy pulled a hamstring in Game 2.
Pogoy sat out the rest of the series and veteran forward Kelly Williams joined him on the sidelines after tweaking his ankle in Game 4. Even Reyes was forced to skip Game 5 with a one-game suspension after accumulating five technical fouls in the tournament.
Still, the challenges just made closing out the semis in Game 6 all the sweeter.
“I think it’s a reflection of the kind of team that we have, or the lineup,” Reyes said.
“We don’t have the depth of San Miguel or Ginebra or even Magnolia. They are much deeper teams than us. It’s hard for us. It’s always our objective to play good 48 minutes but because of our injuries and everything else, it’s not always possible.”
TNT’s journey is now nearing its climax.
Will TNT’s never-say-die spirit triumph once again?
That, however, remains to be seen.