REYES: WE WILL GIVE OURSELVES A FIGHTING CHANCE

Chot Reyes knows TNT will begin its PBA Philippine Cup Finals series against powerhouse San Miguel Beer with a big disadvantage of having an injury-riddled roster.

The Tropang 5G had to dig deep into their bench to outlast a fighting Rain or Shine team, 4-2, in their semifinal series last week.

Veteran gunner Roger Pogoy remains doubtful when the title series begins this Sunday due to a hamstring injury he sustained in the early goings of the semifinal series versus Rain or Shine.

Also out is veteran Kelly Williams who has an ankle injury, joining long-time star Jayson  Castro (knee) and Rey Nambatac (groin) in injured bay.

“The adversity that we went through is a testament to the fighting spirit of the players. They just refused to give up, even though we could have called it a day,” Reyes said during Friday’s press conference at the Chardonnay by Astoria in Pasig City.

The 60-year-old Reyes said he has time and time again, reminded his wards to simply give themselves a fighting chance in the game, something he felt, has sustained them as they finally, reach the finals.

“We always tell the team that as long as we give ourselves a fighting chance, we will just do what we have been doing. We know we will face a very strong team, but we’re here (in the Finals),” added Reyes, whose team incidentally, snapped its 0-3 start for the conference with an 89-84 win against San Miguel in the elimination round on May 4.

“When we won, our first win in four games, we thought that was a crucial win for us,” shared the 11-time PBA champion coach. “If we dropped it, it would be 0-4 so it’s gonna be tough for us. But for us, it was a turning point.”

And to show how serious the team was in its grand slam bid, Reyes and his entire crew joined a meeting with PLDT chairman Manny V. Pangilinan and team governor and PBA Chairman Ricky Vargas on the eve of Game 7 between San Miguel Beer and Barangay Ginebra.

“We had dinner with the bosses and made it a preparatory occasion as well. It’s like hitting two birds in one stone as everybody was watching the game. They were very serious,” recalled Reyes. “In the end, everybody knew who we are going to play (in the Finals).” 

Fourteen years ago, the TNT franchise came close to winning the Triple Crown after beating San Miguel in the All-Filipino and reigning supreme in the Commissioner’s Cup by subduing Barangay Ginebra.

However, San Miguel, which changed its name top Petron went on to deny TNT a grand slam finish after beating Reyes and his gritty bunch, 4-2 in the Governors’ Cup Finals.

2025-07-11T13:44:44Z