PBA Finals: Poy Erram makes amends, done being a distraction for TNT

MANILA, Philippines—A calmer, more focused Poy Erram showed up in Game 6 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals and it couldn’t have come at a better time for TNT Tropang Giga.

With their series on the line, Erram made sure he was someone his team could rely on down the stretch as the Tropang Giga forced a do-or-die Game 7 for the Commissioner’s Cup trophy against rival Ginebra.

HIGHLIGHTS: PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals – Ginebra vs TNT Game 6

He finished with 14 points, six rebounds, a steal and a block, but it was his hustle in the clutch that made all the difference for the Tropang Giga.

“I needed to bounce back and win because we don’t want this series to end like this,” said Erram after an intense 48-minute barnburner in Game 6, where he got into an early four trouble with three fouls in just the first five minutes of the game.

“I’m not going to sugarcoat it, I’ve been a distraction in the team and everybody knows it. I just wanted to bounce back for the team. Luckily, I was able to score when they needed me to,” he said.

This was just days after he got into a verbal spat with his coach Chot Reyes, who straightforwardly said after that Game 5 loss that he was “fed up” with Erram’s antics.

READ: PBA Finals: ‘Fed up’ Chot Reyes tells off Poy Erram for his antics

It certainly seemed like that verbal spat between Erram and Reyes lit a fire under the 6-foot-8 center, who scored 10 of his total in the payoff period of the 87-83 win.

“We had a regular team meeting yesterday and we didn’t even address it [verbal spat],” said Reyes. “That’s the level of trust in our team. We just told him to focus on shutting down the noise.”

With all the noise “shut off,” Erram found his stride to help TNT deny the Gin Kings the import-laden conference championship.

Erram, Reyes and company hope to finish what they started on Friday for Game 7 at the same venue.