TNT is gunning for a PBA Grand Slam this season after winning the Governors’ Cup and Commissioner’s Cup titles. Incidentally, the Tropang 5G face Magnolia — the last team that pulled it off — in the Philippine Cup quarterfinals.
With their Grand Slam dreams on the line, TNT Tropang 5G are banking on a late-season spark and a timely addition to extend their stay in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup.
The no. 6 Tropang 5G face a tough challenge on Wednesday night, June 18, at the PhilSports Arena, needing to win twice against no. 3 Magnolia Hotshots in the quarterfinals to stay alive.
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Magnolia, the last team to complete a Grand Slam in 2014, holds the twice-to-beat advantage — and would love nothing more than to shut the door on TNT’s title treble bid quickly.
TNT has dealt with key injuries this conference, with Jayson Castro and Rey Nambatac — both instrumental in their first two title runs this season — sidelined. To fill the void, the team brought in Jordan Heading, the dynamic playmaker whose late arrival followed a trade of Mikey Williams’ signing rights to Converge.
Heading has shown flashes of what he can bring, but TNT will need a full team effort to avenge its 88-83 loss to Magnolia in the eliminations, a game that also saw Calvin Oftana go down with a right ankle injury.
His status remains day-to-day.
Despite a shaky 0-3 start to the All-Filipino conference, TNT eventually found its rhythm. Now, it must summon all its experience, resilience, and remaining firepower to keep its historic Grand Slam bid alive — against the very franchise that last achieved the feat.
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(With reports from Jan Ballesteros)
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[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital with the help of AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]