TNT coach Jojo Lastimosa. –PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines–Jojo Lastimosa is wrapped up in a sense of nostalgia now that his TNT squad is getting ready to face Barangay Ginebra for the PBA Governors’ Cup title.
“But I try not to be too emotional about it, to be honest,” Lastimosa told the Inquirer on Wednesday.
The Tropang Giga coach has had a long history with the Gin Kings during his days as the chief crowd silencer of the Alaska Aces during the franchise’s memorable battles with Ginebra.
And his experience dealing with the crowd will be valuable in a series where the basketball great says his team is “the underdog.”
And he has one advice for his team: “Be defiant, be fearless. Be aggressive and find your openings.”
Lastimosa has hit some of the biggest shots in his career against the most popular ball club in the league and had drawn the ire of the Kings’ rabid following during his prime.
“I told my players what they hear, the noise from the crowd when you play against Ginebra pales in comparison to the noise and the crowd before,” Lastimosa said.
“But my attitude toward Ginebra was you always have to be fearless and defiant,” he added.
Now, he hopes the Tropang Giga will adopt that same approach, even as he admitted not going too much into detail about his duels with the Gin Kings.
“I try to communicate that defiance or fearlessness but I try also not to talk about myself too much,” he said. “I just mention it in passing.”
TNT and Ginebra duke it out in Game 1 of the best-of-seen series on Easter Sunday.