Racela stays positive despite TNT exit: ‘We got a fair chance’

TNT’s quarterfinals series loss to San Miguel in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup wasn’t the easiest pill to swallow.

The KaTropa squandered a 23-point lead in Game 1 to lose 121-110 and botched comeback in Game 2 as the Beermen completed the sweep with a 106-102 win.

With another lost opportunity for a title, Nash Racela still can’t help but look at the silver lining.

“I like how we lost today, I really felt the team did their part effort-wise and they were just following the plan,” said Racela Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

TNT came back from an eight-point deficit, 94-86, in the fourth quarter with Jayson Castro’s three-pointer tying the game at 98-98 with 2:06 left.

That, however, proved to be the KaTropa’s last stand in the quarterfinals as the Beermen iced the game from the free throw line and advance to the semifinals.

What Racela liked, though, was the free throw disparity wasn’t as glaring.

Game 1 saw San Miguel take 40 free throws and make 31 while TNT only had 18 chances at the stripe and converted eight.

The second game saw a closer, and fairer as Racela described, margin with San Miguel’s 30 free throw attempts just nine more than what TNT had.

“It’s nice that today they allowed us to play, actually for the first time the free throws were surprising, I think 30-21 but we fouled in the end so it’s probably 26-21,” said Racela who almost put Game 1 in protest.

“Every time they call it that way I think we have a chance, all we ask for really is a fair chance. Today we got that so it’s easier to accept defeat. We got a fair chance, we did our part, they did their part and in the end it was just them executing better in the end.”