No one in TNT was happier to see Poy Erram deliver — and in the process, find redemption — in a game as crucial as Game 6 of the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup Finals on Wednesday night than Coach Chot Reyes.
Both figures became the center of discussions online by fans and netizens alike for their shouting match that marred their eventual loss to Ginebra in Game 5 last Sunday, but all that is water under the bridge now.
The veteran center performed when it mattered, helping the Tropang Giga drag the Kings to a winner-take-all Game 7 for conference supremacy.
“We just told Poy to focus on shutting off the noise, ‘yun ang importante sa kanya,” Reyes said after their 87-73 win at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Erram has undeniably been the most criticized in the ongoing playoffs due to his series of outbursts, thus that simple reminder by his team as they addressed the issue during the days leading up to the all-important Game 6.
So, the 35-year-old found no better way to respond than playing like his usual self on Wednesday night. He scored 10 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter to help TNT take control and then ward off the often crowd-fueled Kings.
Erram shot an excellent 4-of-5 clip from the field and went 5-of-6 from the foul line in a performance that also saw him collar six rebounds, a steal, and a block.
“I told him, of all our players in this series, he was the one with the highest plus-minus. In the effort chart, pinakamataas si Poy eh,” said Reyes.
“But we need him on the floor. So I said just focus, shut off the noise, because his presence is very important. Luckily, he did just that tonight.”
Such a performance proved as well that talking things over does bring more good than harm. Erram emerged as the unlikely hero who saved the Tropa from the brink of kissing their championship hopes goodbye.
“If we get on each other’s nerve, magsigawan kami, eh magkakapatid nga, magkakapamilya nga nagsisigawan at nag-aaway, but that doesn’t mean that they’re going to break up as a family,” Reyes said.
#WATCH: “WE’RE NOT GOING TO GO DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT!”
Chot Reyes praises TNT Tropang Giga’s relentless spirit as they take the #PBA2025 Finals to the limit 🏀
📹 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/nsQNaWIGkC
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) March 26, 2025
