C-Mac, Tropa force game 7

MANILA, Philippines — No coronation on this night.

Their kingdom under heavy siege, the TNT Tropang 5G and Chris McCullough fought with all their might to stop Barangay Ginebra’s grand plans in Game 6, 98-90, in front of a 22,731-strong crowd at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

McCullough, showcasing his playoff genes, produced a monster 53-point, 22-rebound performance as he got the last say in his fiery shootout with Justin Brownlee (52) and paved the way for the series-equalizing victory.

From teetering on the brink at 2-3, the no-quit Tropang 5G put themselves on equal footing with the Gin Kings as they dispute the coveted crown in a Game 7 sudden death on Wednesday.

McCullough, who came in as replacement for the injured Bol Bol, went hard at work just as Brownlee and the Gin Kings were threatening to finish his team off.

Brownlee and Co. wiped out TNT’s eight-point lead at the start of the fourth and eased ahead, 80-78. As if on cue, McCullough countered with two huge triples and a booming four-ball in a searing salvo that gave them a 94-86 cushion with 1:32 left.

“I guess C-Mac (McCullough) got tired of Justin eating his lunch. Another 50-piece by Justin but C-Mac was able to stay in step with him and I think that’s basically the key,” said coach Chot Reyes.

Jordan Heading, with 19, and RR Pogoy, with 13, helped out McCullough as TNT survived the first of its two do-or-die situations with key players Calvin Oftana and Brandon Rosser in sick bay. Oftana sat out with calf strain while Rosser was down with an ankle sprain.

“In our board, we put there ‘96 minutes’ encircled in a heart. We said let’s play the best 96 minutes of our lives (Game 6 and Game 7). And now, we’ve done the first half of that,” said Reyes.