TNT, SMB kick off sprint with key Game 5

Jayson Castro (photo above) will try to weave his magic anew for TNT in a crucial Game 5 duel vs San Miguel Beer. —PBA IMAGES

Deemed as a marathon at the start, TNT and San Miguel Beer are now locked in a virtual sprint.

With the Tropang Giga gaining a new lease on life following a runaway Game 4 win, there will be some momentum on the defending champions’ side in the crucial fifth game of the PBA Philippine Cup title series on Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The 2-2 tiebreaker tips off at 5:45 p.m., with the winner gaining what is a two-for-one chance to snag the season’s crown jewel.

After getting bashed for failing to steer Gilas Pilipinas to a win against Lebanon in a Fiba Asia Cup Qualifying series game in Beirut, Chot Reyes has gone 2-0, counting an 84-46 rout of the Saudis by the Filipinos on Monday.

And with national team duty out of the way, Reyes can fully focus on the Tropang Giga, and this is something that is not lost on old hand Jayson Castro.

“Having coach Chot back is extra motivation for the whole team,” Castro, who scored 26 points in a 100-87 series-tying win last Sunday, said in Filipino. “Our executions are better with him around.”

TNT is unbeaten in this series with Reyes around, and San Miguel cornerstone June Mar Fajardo knows that regrouping is the only option for the Beermen to reclaim the lead.

“We need to find out what went wrong [in Game 4] … and make the necessary adjustments,” Fajardo, who had 20 points and 19 rebounds in the defeat, said.

Castro has been the biggest reason why the Tropang Giga have gotten this far. Though he missed a chance to win Game 3 in regulation, he has been the most clutch performer for Reyes. INQ