PBA Finals: Chot wants TNT to keep effort high from start to finish

TNT and Ginebra will gun for a crucial tie-breaking victory on Sunday. —PBA IMAGES

The first two games of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals may have produced different results, but they unfolded in remarkably similar fashion.

That is why TNT coach Chot Reyes wants to make sure his team avoids another late-game scare when the Tropang 5G and Barangay Ginebra break their 1-1 deadlock in Game 3 on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena.

“We just try to play the same game all throughout,” Reyes said ahead of the pivotal contest.

TNT evened the series with a 101-94 victory on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, but not before surviving an anxious finish.

Second unit

The Tropang 5G appeared headed for a comfortable win after building a 22-point lead, only for Ginebra to mount a furious rally behind a second unit led by rookie John Abis, Jeremiah Gray and Isaac Go.

The Gin Kings cut the deficit to four before TNT came up with key defensive stops down the stretch to seal the victory.

“Hopefully, we can sustain a high level of play for 48 minutes,” Reyes said. “Against a team like Ginebra, if you just let your guard down for three to four minutes, they’ll get on a very big run.

“So those are the things that we need to talk about—how to make sure that we’re able to sustain that kind of energy and execution all throughout the game.”

Calvin Oftana powered TNT in Game 2, scoring 31 points and sparking the early surge that put the Tropang 5G in control. Another standout performance from Oftana could prove crucial as the series moves forward.

Game 2 mirrored the Finals opener in several ways.

Lacking energy

In Game 1, TNT erased an 18-point deficit and grabbed a five-point lead before Ginebra stormed back for a 102-100 victory behind the heroics of RJ Abarrientos and Justin Brownlee.

Ginebra coach Tim Cone admitted afterward that his team lacked its usual energy from the opening tip of Game 2.

“We came out with no fire in the belly,” Cone said. “I don’t know if that tough semifinal series with Rain or Shine all caught up on us. We just weren’t ready to play.”

With the outcome seemingly decided, Cone rested most of his regulars in the fourth quarter, including Brownlee and Scottie Thompson, and turned to Gray, Go and Abis.

The trio nearly engineered a stunning comeback.

Gray finished with 13 points, Go added 10, while Abis contributed four points and two rebounds in 11 minutes as Ginebra’s reserves injected life into the late rally. INQ