Calvin Oftana did the heavy lifting in Game 6 of the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup Finals but his efforts proved insufficient.
Calvin Oftana tried to put up a brave front when he faced reporters after TNT fell short in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals on Sunday night, Feb. 2.
But the Tropang 5G couldn’t really hide the sting of losing back-to-back All-Filipino title showdowns against San Miguel.
“Ayoko sana magsalita pero mahirap 'yung back-to-back na losses,” he said after the 92-77 loss to the Beermen in game 6 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
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Oftana tried to do everything to help keep the team afloat after being down by 21 points early on.
He wound up with 28 points built on six three-pointers, seven rebounds and, five assists, but didn’t really have plenty of help at least on the offensive end.
Jordan Heading and Henry Galinato were the only other TNT cagers who finished in double figures with 14 and 11, respectively.
Asked what hurt more, being denied a Grand Slam or losing two consecutive finals, Oftana couldn’t tell the difference at all. Both failures simply pierced through their hearts.
“I think every loss is masakit talaga,” he said.
At the end of the day, the 6-foot-5 winger was proud of the gallant stand the Tropang 5G put up against the All-Filipino kings.
“Pro I’m proud of the guys. I’m proud of the coaches. From the start tinrabaho namin ‘to. Siyempre goal namin every conference is umabot dito and to get the championship. Bawi na lang next conference, ganun talaga. May next conference pa naman,” he said.
Now Oftana can only look forward to spending more time with his family before rejoining Gilas Pilipinas in its training camp for the second window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers later this month.
“Pahinga muna ngayon. Pahinga with my wife, my family back home, with my son,” he said.
“Maraming oras din na nawala ako sa kanila because of training and games. Hindi na kami nakakalabas dahil dito (pero) ganun talaga buhay, may panalo, may talo. Move forward.”
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Like most sportswriters, Jan Ballesteros once dreamed of becoming a professional hooper. But he learned the hard way that it’s not for everyone.
He continues to be involved in the sport he loves, but this time as a member of the PBA Press Corps. Aside from primarily covering the PBA, he is also assigned to cover Gilas Pilipinas.