TNT like dynamite in blasting San Miguel Beer

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IT WAS supposed to be a preview of a possible title showdown in the ongoing PBA Governors’ Cup. Instead, it turned out to be a horrible mismatch that further reinforced the growing reputation of TNT KaTropa as heir apparent to defending champion San Miguel Beer.

Playing before a big Batangas City Coliseum crowd that included TNT owner Manny V. Pangilinan, the KaTropa overwhelmed the Beermen with sizzling fire in the second half, posting a 105-85 win to secure the first twice-to-beat bonus reserved for the top four quarterfinalists after the single round eliminations.

The KaTropa showed little of their uneasy form against the GlobalPort Batang Pier in their last game where they squandered a 24-point lead and settled for a 122-120 decision. This time, they stretched their 47-45 halftime lead to 99-70 halfway through the final quarter.

TNT moved two full games ahead of Barangay Ginebra (6-2) with its 8-1 record even as SMB dropped into a tie with Mahindra at 6-3 after taking its worst defeat in the tournament.

Meralco, at 5-5, still has a shot at the twice-to-beat bonus but an interesting scramble has shaped up among five teams for the last four quarterfinal berths.

By stopping Mahindra, 103-88, last Friday, Rain or Shine, the reigning Commissioner’s Cup champion, caught up at 4-4 with Phoenix, which extended Star’s misery by inflicting a fifth straight loss on the Hotshots, 106-93.

The Elasto Painters exploited the first subpar performance of Mahindra import James White and the absence of top local scorer KG Canaleta, who had an appendectomy a day earlier.

Mahindra playing-coach Manny Pacquiao, the eight-time world boxing champion, tried to revive the fighting spirit of the Enforcers by seeing action in the third quarter only to commit a bad pass that led to an ROS fastbreak dunk. He was quickly recalled to the bench by assistant coach Chris Gavina.

Phoenix relied on a 45-point, 17-rebound performance of import Eugene Phelps to keep Star in the cellar at 1-7 in the company of Blackwater. (Star improved to 2-7 after nipping Meralco last night. —Ed) Ahead of the tailenders are NLEX (4-5) and Alaska and GlobalPort, both with 3-5 slates.

Now in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in 16 conferences, Star’s plunge to mediocrity continued to stump experts. The team formerly known as San Mig Coffee strung up four titles, capped by a Grand Slam in 2014, under coach Tim Cone. Then the SMC bright boys sent Cone to Ginebra while elevating his assistant, Jason Webb, as coach of the now ill-starred squad.

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The country’s basketball season hits its peak with the opening games of the UAAP 79th season yesterday. With the nucleus of last year’s champion squad decimated by graduation, coach Nash Racela is hoping for the best for his FEU squad against a field that now rates La Salle, which missed the semifinals last year, as the team to beat.

Meanwhile, three teams are fighting for the fourth and last semifinal berth in what has become a very interesting race in this year’s 92nd NCAA men’s tournament.

The top three teams have three losses so far with San Beda ahead with 11 wins. Perpetual Help and Arellano have 10 each midway in the second round of eliminations.

Mapua is running third (8-5) followed by Jose Rizal (8-6) and defending champion Letran (7-7).