TNT’s performance in Saturday’s out-of-town win over Converge showed that it remains a serious contender for the PBA Philippine Cup crown.
But that form they showed in the 110-103 victory in Vigan, Ilocos Sur won’t be sustainable if the Tropang 5G couldn’t stay healthy as they endured late last season when injuries eventually took a toll on their eventual failure to complete a Grand Slam.
‘We really hit the injury bug last conference and you can never tell how many players will get injured in a given time,’ RR Pogoy, who fired 27 points on six triples, said before the 50th season tipped off.
Pogoy was one of the players who got hurt late last season, but that didn’t stop TNT from reaching the Philippine Cup Finals-the final hurdle of its triple crown bid.
Rey Nambatac was not activated in the playoffs after getting hurt in the eliminations, Poy Erram was scratched during the middle of the championship series while Jordan Heading and Calvin Oftana played through ailments as the Tropang 5G lost to the San Miguel Beermen last July.
This time, TNT hopes it will be able to avoid a similar fate, especially with some new pieces added in the offseason in Kevin Ferrer and Jio Jalalon.
‘Their additions are a big thing for us, and we have to stay healthy because it’s gonna be difficult if we have a lot of injuries on our team,’ added Pogoy.
The Tropang 5G improved to 2-1 two weeks into the eliminations of the All-Filipino tournament, with Pogoy accounting for 30 percent of the team’s three-point conversions.
TNT as a whole made 20 triples, plus two four-pointers from Rey Nambatac to make it 22 from beyond the three-point arc, tied for fifth most in league history.
Oftana hit all four triples, Kelly Williams also made the same amount on nine attempts, Simon Enciso connected on three while Ferrer had two for the Tropang 5G.