Coach Chot Reyes and the TNT Tropang 5G survived one knockout game in their PBA Grand Slam bid, erasing Magnolia's twice-to-beat advantage in the Philippine Cup quarterfinals.
TNT Tropang 5G’s Grand Slam bid is still alive—just barely.
Facing elimination in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup quarterfinals, the no. 6 seed Tropang 5G outlasted no. 3 Magnolia Hotshots, 89-88, in a dramatic finish that wiped out the Hotshots’ twice-to-beat advantage, forcing a do-or-die game for a spot in the semifinals.
The gritty win keeps TNT’s historic season going, as the team continues its pursuit of a rare PBA Grand Slam—winning all three conferences in a single season.
The last time TNT had this opportunity was in 2011, where the then Tropang Texters fell just one win short, losing Game 7 of the Governors’ Cup Finals to Petron.
Yet for head coach Chot Reyes, who also called the shots for that 2011 squad, the bigger picture matters just as much as the ultimate prize.
“First of all, it’s not really on our minds,” Reyes said of the Grand Slam chase.
“But my attitude is, these guys have done so much already this year. If the Grand Slam is not for us, it’s not for us. But no one is going to take away what we’ve achieved already this season.”
Still, Reyes made sure to challenge his team ahead of the Magnolia game.
“We had a long talk before practice the other day to ask them how much they want it—if this is something they really, really want, because this is something really, really hard,” he added.
The Tropang 5G now move on to a second knockout game with momentum on their side—and the chance to keep their Grand Slam hopes alive.
(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.]