CHOT ADMITS TNT OFFSEASON BUILDUP GEARED TOWARDS ENDING SMB CURSE

TNT hopes to break its finals slump against San Miguel with a retooled line-up that eventually led to another place in the PBA 50th Season Philippine Cup finals.

The Tropang 5G hold a 1-6 record against the Beermen in the finals, according to PBA statistics chief Fidel Mangonon, including last season’s Philippine Cup where a loss stopped TNT’s Grand Slam bid.

The only time that TNT won over SMB was during the 2011 Philippine Cup Finals.

After the finals defeat, TNT had a busy offseason by signing the likes of Jio Jalalon, Kevin Ferrer, and Tyrus Hill to beef up the roster.

TNT coach Chot Reyes had no qualms that the player movements was built on having a better chance at beating San Miguel.

"Definitely," said Reyes when asked during Monday’s pre-finals press conference at the Novotel Manila on whether the moves were made with San Miguel in its mind.

"If you go into any tournament, you take a look at who’s the big guy on the block," said Reyes. "So there’s no secret that San Miguel has dominated this tournament. So if you want to be able to compete with them, then you better have the resources, and that’s what guided our build-up in the first."

The Tropang 5G also lost last season’s championship in the all-local tournament with the team ravaged by injuries to Calvin Oftana, Rey Nambatac, and Poy Erram.

Reyes said they also addressed the depth after the experience of missing key players due to injuries.

"The second (reason for the signings) was the injuries that we experienced in the last finals. So it was a big part, a big objective for us to address our depth. And I thought we were able to do that with those additions," said Reyes.

"So a combination of really going and looking at San Miguel as the benchmark, and at the same time, addressing our own issues," said Reyes.

TNT begins its redemption bid on Wednesday in Game 1 of the PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven finals at the Ynares Center-Antipolo. TNT reached the finals after taking the No. 3 seed with an 8-3 win-loss record, beating Magnolia in the quarterfinals and Rain or Shine in the semifinals.

San Miguel reached the finals by topping the eliminations with a 9-2 win-loss record, and dispatching NLEX in the quarterfinals and Barangay Ginebra in the semifinals.

2026-01-19T10:15:01Z