Calvin Oftana let his game do all the talking to show that he has moved on from his frustrations back in Game 4 of the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals.
The star winger on Wednesday night fired 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor and hauled down eight rebounds to help TNT erect a 3-2 lead over Barangay Ginebra in the best-of-7 series by way of a 99-72 masterclass.
Having addressed the issue after last Sunday’s match through a team meeting definitely helped a lot in keeping the 28-year-old locked in.
“We talked about it. We had a team meeting yesterday. I think that’s enough,” Oftana said shortly after Game 5 at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
It could be recalled that the three-year pro voiced his disappointment after Game 4, which witnessed the Tropang Giga bow to a 106-92 result as the Kings drew even after losing the first two games of the race-to-4 series.
Oftana rued not receiving enough touches in the second half after a hot first-half showing where he produced 20 points, including 13 in the first quarter.
He went on to finish with 26 points. It was actually his best game in this titular battle but that wasn’t enough to serve as a silver lining for him.
But things would eventually get sorted out big thanks to that team meeting, in which no less than head coach Chot Reyes was a part of.
“I literally asked him, ‘How can I help you?’ Bakit nga nagka-ganoon, how can we help him,” the champion bench tactician said.
Thus, the solid outing Oftana submitted in Game 5, ultimately helping TNT move one win away from defending its conference championship.
“‘Yung frustration kasi during game ‘yan eh, lalo na ‘pag intense ‘yung laro. I think every player naman has those times na talagang mafu-frustrate ka. But after that, you can see me smile outside,” he said. “Mawawala ‘yun.
“Ang maganda lang kasi doon is we look forward to the next game. Kung anong nangyari during the game, learn from it,” added the San Beda product. “Watch the game, kung ano ‘yung mali, bakit ganoon ‘yung nangyari.”
