TNT kept its winning run going with a cliffhanger of a victory– thanks to a Calvin Oftana buzzer-beating putback against San Miguel Beer last Sunday night.
But his charges’ impressive run in the Third Conference hardly surprised coach Jojo Lastimosa.
“These guys are built for this. I know there’s going to be a playoff implication here or playoff atmosphere here being San Miguel and us having 7-1 records,” Lastimosa said. “I didn’t expect much from this game from our guys. I just told them to embrace the grind and to embrace the struggle.
“They responded well tonight. The guys don’t know me well yet so I’m trying to earn their trust slowly and that’s gonna take time. I’m just surprised with their response– this record but they know that for me the most important thing is chemistry and we’re beginning to see that in the coaches and in the players,” he added.
Lastimosa spoke after the Tropang Giga nipped the Beermen 105-103 for their sixth straight win in the PBA Governors’ Cup.
Veteran playmaker Jayson Castro wound up with 21 points, on top of five rebounds and eight assists for TNT, while import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson provided ample help with 19 markers, 14 boards and seven dimes.
Kelly Williams added 16 points and three caroms for the Tropang Giga, while Oftana finished with 14 markers, none bigger than the last two on a lefty follow-up layup off a Hollis-Jefferson miss.
Mikey Williams, who left the match for good after hurting his right ankle in the second quarter, had 11 points and three rebounds as TNT did an encore to a 111-104 triumph over Meralco three days ago and rose to 8-1.
SMB, coming off a 102-99 decision over Ginebra last Friday, dropped to 7-2, still good for solo second.
Lastimosa credited his team’s final offensive thrust to Castro.
“That was Jayson’s idea actually, because I wanted a play where he will get the ball and Rondae, they’re going to have a two-man game,” Lastimosa said. “But Jayson nixed it, he said, ‘Coach, because Jericho’s (Cruz) been hugging me like a tree, I’m going to set a screen for Rondae for him to make a play.’ That was Jayson’s play,” he said.
