Twenty days removed from winning the championship, TNT swings back into action on Friday expecting a narrower road to the PBA Commissioner’s Cup trophy.
“If the Governors’ Cup was difficult, I find the Commissioner’s Cup doubly, if not 10 times [more] difficult,” coach Chot Reyes said as the Tropang Giga begin their midseason campaign against guest team Hong Kong Eastern.
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The 7:30 p.m. contest at Ninoy Aquino Stadium will see if TNT has already shaken off the championship hangover, given the little timetable they had in savoring the Governors’ Cup victory over crowd-favorite Barangay Ginebra.
Recent weeks have seen the Tropang Giga juggling themselves in preparing for the second conference as well as fulfilling engagements such as guest appearances on “Eat Bulaga!”, functions with PLDT employees and a courtesy call with team owner Manny V. Pangilinan.
Some players also got the chance to have some rest and relaxation, like Calvin Oftana, who immediately brought his family to Singapore upon the conclusion of his Gilas Pilipinas stint in the Fiba Asia Cup Qualifiers.
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Management did make the important move of keeping Rondae Hollis-Jefferson as its import despite the challenge of facing bigger counterparts, while also inking Jielo Razon following an MPBL campaign with Parañaque.
But a stern test immediately awaits Reyes, Hollis-Jefferson, Oftana, RR Pogoy and Governors’ Cup Finals Most Valuable Player Jayson Castro as Eastern will try to get back on track after being handed its first defeat as guest team.
Eastern fell, 99-81, to Rain or Shine two nights prior after enduring struggles in the second half and missing starting playmaker Glen Yang due to passport issues. Yang is likely to be back in action for Eastern.
Meanwhile, unbeaten Meralco goes for a third win and a share of the lead with idle NorthPort with a temporary replacement to the injured Akil Mitchell.
Kennedy up
The Bolts have decided to tap DJ Kennedy, their other import in the East Asia Super League (EASL), to play while Mitchell recovers from a broken nose sustained in Sunday’s win over the ElastoPainters.
Mitchell got hurt barely 15 seconds into the contest after an accidental hit from Rain or Shine center Keith Datu.
Kennedy is averaging 20.3 points on 44-percent shooting with 9.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals in the EASL, which has Meralco flirting with a possible Final Four appearance with a 2-1 (win-loss) record.
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Terrafirma, trying to get out of a 0-3 start, will field a new import to take the place of the very ineffective Ryan Richards, with Brandon Edwards set to debut in the 5 p.m. contest.
Edwards was supposed to reinforce the Dyip in the Governors’ Cup but suffered an ACL injury before that conference started, forcing management to tap ex-Magnolia import Antonio Hester.