Eleven games into the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup, and TNT has yet to get seamlessly in sync with Bol Bol, thus their struggling campaign thus far.
Jayson Castro candidly admitted as much after the 7-foot-3 winger dropped another 50-piece. However, it didn’t lead to the desired outcome as the Tropang 5G got overpowered by Clint Chapman and Magnolia on Tuesday.
“Okay naman, kailangan lang namin matuto kung paano kami maglaro with Bol,” he said on the heels of their 106-94 defeat at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
“Kasi may mga time na masyadong namin… Binibigay sa kanya lahat.”
Bol had a sensational scoring night, firing 53 points alongside 13 rebounds and five blocks. But he hardly received support in a game that proved to be a microcosm of their issues this conference.
Calvin Oftana was his lone backup with 18 points, and it wasn’t even an efficient outing for the former BPC candidate. He shot only 7-for-17 from the floor, including a 3-of-10 clip from three. He did have nine boards but was a -7.
No other player would score more than six points, as it was a difficult 48 minutes for the defending champions. The Hotshots had exposed their weakness: the Tropa being too reliant on the former NBA pro.
(C) PBA Images
Coach LA Tenorio’s men, banked on their defense while finding their groove early on offense. Magnolia finished the first 12 minutes with a 35-15 lead, with Clint Chapman powering the hot start with 18 points — outscoring the entire opposing team.
For the star guard, it was the story of the entire bout, which sent the flagship MVP franchise skidding to a second straight loss.
“They made their run nung first quarter. I think ‘yun ‘yung istorya ng laro eh, ‘yung first quarter,” offered Castro. “Kasi ‘yung second hanggang fourth, kung makita niyo yung scoring at tsaka yung game parang ano lang.
“Kaso, sobrang lalim lang talaga nung hinabol namin. And then noong patapos ‘yung third quarter, nag-run na naman ulit sila. Ganda rin ng outside shooting nila, I think ‘yun din yung difference ng game.”
As bad as their outing was, Castro isn’t losing hope, saying that the Tropa simply need to find the right mix between Bol and the local talent.
“Makita lang namin ‘yung balance with Bol and ‘yung locals, once na matutunan namin ‘yun, maganda ‘yung magiging result ng game namin,” he said.
For now, they’re crossing fingers that it’s not too late to figure things out despite their position following the tough loss — TNT has dropped to seventh in the standings with a 6-5 record.
They will try to do so against the current 2-seed Ginebra San Miguel this Sunday in a rematch of last season’s Commissioner’s Cup Finals.
“Hindi nga wake-up call ‘to,” he said, “kasi ilang beses na kaming tinalo ng mga ganoong scenario. Kahit ‘yung first three games namin, hindi ganoon kaganda. Hopefully, makuha namin ‘yung game namin, itong last game ng elimination.
“And, ma-realize namin lahat ng mga mistake namin, and makapag-adjust kami,” added Castro.
“Personally, kasama ako roon. Marami rin akong mga mali, inaano ko naman sa sarili ko ‘yon, and as a team din.”
