PBA: TNT, Ginebra guard against losing edge, momentum

Rest will be huge for guys like Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who has been shouldering a lot of load for TNT in the PBA Governors’ Cup semifinals. —PBA IMAGES

TNT making the PBA Governors’ Cup semifinals early deserves some sort of celebration.

But Tropang Giga coach Chot Reyes has seen through many battles to know it also merits caution.

“That rest—you know how it is. There’s always going to be that give-and-take between resting and being fresh, and then just losing your edge,” he said of the gap between Tuesday’s Game 4 clincher and their first game in the Final Four on Wednesday against either Rain or Shine (See related story on this page).

READ: PBA: TNT punches ticket to semifinals, ousts NLEX

Between those two matches, TNT, the defending champion of this conference, will have at least seven days of rest. And that may indeed seem too long a time to stay idle in a stretch where momentum is key.

The winner of the series between the Painters and the Hotshots will have a three-day break, long enough to afford the players some breathing space but short enough that they stay on their toes.

Such a reality weighs heavier on Barangay Ginebra, which finished its series against rival Meralco. The crowd darlings were also able to get a streak going in that race, winning three straight matches to sweep the Bolts.

READ: PBA: Chot Reyes, TNT shrug off irregular format

Coach Tim Cone and the Gin Kings will be facing the winner of the Converge-San Miguel sudden death, which will be resolved on Sunday.

“We were in a pretty good rhythm in the Meralco series, so we would have liked to play a little sooner. However, with the tournament format the way it is, rest and recovery has been hard to come by. So we’re going to use the extra rest to prepare for our next opponent,” Cone told the Inquirer on Saturday.

A perennial title contender known for its defensive mettle, TNT will be navigating an interesting couple of days as the club just began hitting an offensive groove. Save for the Game 2 loss to NLEX, the Tropang Giga have been scoring an average of 113 points, which was quite the improvement from their 94.6-point scoring norm during the elimination phase.

Efficient break

Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings’ coach Tim Cone during a PBA Governors’ Cup game. –PBA IMAGES

For Reyes, the key is to make sure that every day of the break is used efficiently.

“We have to make real good determination on the quality of our preparation and practices in these next few games,” he said. “Any chance that we get to rest and recover at this stage is crucial. I think it’s very, very important. But it will only be valuable if we make good use of it.”

Cone thinks the same way.

“Our challenge is to stay sharp and use the extra practice time to get better in our execution and our schemes,” he said. INQ