TNT coach Chot Reyes. PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines—TNT won’t have any moment of reprieve following its grueling 106-101 overtime win over NorthPort at the end of the elimination round in the 2021 PBA Governors’ Cup.
The Tropang Giga secured the twice-to-beat perk in the playoffs as they took the third seed but waiting for them in the quarterfinals is the always dangerous Barangay Ginebra.
TNT head coach Chot Reyes is aware of the situation he and his team are in and their 7-4 record doesn’t necessarily provide enough of a protection against Justin Brownlee and the Gin Kings.
“We did everything we could to win this game only to face Ginebra in the next round, in the playoffs,” said Reyes Friday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“We’re playing the team with the resident best import so we just have to get ready, we have no choice, we have to put this game behind us and focus on Ginebra,” said Reyes.
“It’s going to take much better defensive effort for us to be able to beat a team like Ginebra.”
The Gin Kings, who went through a four-game skid in the mid-part of the conference, had a solid end to the preliminaries going 3-1 in their last three games.
Leading the way for Ginebra is the 6-foot-5 Brownlee, a winner of four titles and the Best Import in the 2018 Commissioner’s Cup—a conference usually reserved for centers and the occasional power forwards.