Rematch with a twist

For the third straight conference this season, TNT and Rain or Shine will match up in a best-of-seven semifinal duel with the winner advancing to the PBA Philippine Cup Finals. The battle begins at the MOA Arena today. Both teams survived a twice-to-win disadvantage in the quarterfinals and will now square off to extend their rivalry.

TNT has a lot more at stake than ROS as it’s only one jewel shy of bagging a Grand Slam. But the Elasto Painters aren’t about to give way for TNT to make history. ROS hasn’t claimed a championship since the 2016 Commissioner’s Cup and is in its fourth straight semifinals dating back to the Philippine Cup last season where coach Yeng Guiao’s squad ousted TNT in the quarters.

In the last two semifinals, TNT disposed of ROS, 4-1, after zooming to 2-0 leads. But in those series, TNT was bolstered by Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Jayson Castro and Rey Nambatac. This time, the three are missing. Still, TNT remains formidable and in the eliminations, the Tropang 5G trounced ROS, 111-103, despite the trio’s absence. RR Pogoy fired 35 points, Poy Erram 31 and Calvin Oftana 28 to bury the E-Painters under an avalanche of artillery. ROS enjoyed a 14-point lead in the first quarter then was held to 14 in the second as TNT turned things around with its patented defense. Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser was on the recovery list and Jordan Heading hadn’t been traded but they’re now on TNT’s playoff roster to give ROS a tougher challenge.

Coach Chot Reyes’ gambit is anchored on defense. In TNT’s six wins in the elims, opponents were held to an average of 82.8 points but in five losses, it went up to 94.2. TNT thrives in a low-scoring, drag-out war while ROS likes it high-octane, averaging 113.8 points in six elim wins. There’s a difference of 16.6 points when ROS wins and loses.

TNT’s point of attack starts from the perimeter, shooting 49 percent of its shots from deep. But against ROS, TNT might be more aggressive assaulting the interior to capitalize on the E-Painters’ lack of a natural center. Kelly Williams has been a renewed force in the playoffs and with Ganuelas-Rosser in the mix plus Erram off the bench, TNT’s bigs are more than a handful. It took TNT five games to boot out ROS in the last two semifinals. This conference, the road won’t be that easy either way.