After missing the last two games of TNT, Chot Reyes was back on the sidelines for the Tropang Giga for Game Four of the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup Finals.
And hearing him call plays from the sidelines, shouting at the players and the refs alike, was a welcome sight, according to 14-year TNT lifer Jayson Castro.
“Siguro because of our gameplan din and the energy sa room. We had to be impressive. Yung last two games namin, ang bagal ng execution namin at yung defense namin, sobrang passive. Sinabi lang ni Coach Chot na maging aggressive kami sa defense at offense,” said Castro.
“Siyempre, malaki din kasi yun nga, yung motivation sa simpleng… yung mga execution namin once na magkamali kami, papagalitan kami. Malaking bagay siyempre.”
While Reyes was serving Gilas duties in Beirut, TNT struggled in two games against San Miguel, falling down to a 2-1 hole.
The Tropang Giga lost Game Two 109-100 last Wednesday before bowing in Game Three in overtime, 108-100.
In Game Three, TNT committed 24 turnovers. And when Reyes returned to TNT’s war room on Saturday morning, he made sure to emphasize that.
“Coach Chot said that I made sure to say that the turnovers were key for us. We had 24 turnovers last game. That’s number one on the list heading into this game,” said TNT assistant coach Sandy Arespacochaga, who was the interim head coach of the team when Reyes was away. “We are happy with the way the players responded. It’s not just on Jayson or Mikey [Williams] but everyone across the board.
“On defense, we also felt that everybody stepped. Kelly [Williams] has the biggest load against June Mar [Fajardo] every game but a lot of the players helped by pressuring the guards and offering help when needed.”
TNT responded to Reyes’ call by greatly limiting their errors in Game Four — committing only three turnovers to be exact.
On offense, Jayson Castro led the way with 26 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals against one turnover.
Ball dominant guards Roger Pogoy and Williams also only had one error each.
TNT’s defense, meanwhile, forced San Miguel to commit 15 turnovers that led to 15 points. Moreover, they were able to “limit” Fajardo to 20 points and 19 rebounds. The reigning BPC got a 20-20 easily in Game Three.
More importantly, TNT was able to knot the series at 2-all after taking a 100-87 win.
It was their perfect gift to their embattled mentor, who had to immediately leave the SMART Araneta Coliseum to join Gilas in their final training for their Saudi Arabia game on Monday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
(C) FIBA.basketball
“First of all, mahirap talaga yung situation because all of a sudden, finals nawala si Coach Chot. Coach Chot means a lot for our team,” Arespacochaga remarked about their chief tactician. “There’s no question about it lalo na within our team. Malaking bagay si Coach Chot. Big boost for us once he came back. Definitely, big factor for us is that Coach Chot is back coaching the team.
“We also know that he is under fire but we know his dedication. It’s very hard coaching two teams. We are very happy that we won the game not just for the series but also for the team.”
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The second game of each PBA gameday is live-streamed on SMART Sports.
