The TNT Katropa’s season came to a close Sunday night after they bowed out to Justin Brownlee and the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in Game Four of their semis bout. And with that, Texters head coach Nash Racela is certain of one thing.
“I’m sure a lot of people are happy with our loss,” said the first-year tactician with a slight grin, moments after his wards’ 105-115 loss at a Ginebra-crowd-packed SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The Katropa’s stinging defeat can actually be pinpointed to the meltdown that took place in their side come the second half, where they failed to protect and sustain a gargantuan 18-point lead, 72-54, early in the third canto.
But the match would have been a different story had Glen Rice, Jr. not been disqualified in the first quarter, as he was called for a flagrant foul penalty one and a technical foul after a skirmish with Ginebra rookie Kevin Ferrer.
“Best Player si Kevin, simple as that,” said Racela sardonically, as the Gilas Pilipinas Cadet had been getting under the American reinforcement’s skin ever since Game Three.
“Kevin Ferrer was the best player of the game.”
Still, the loss has been dealt. And that is why the 45-year-old mentor took all the time he had to tip his hat off to their rivals — all with sarcasm, of course.
“I just want to congratulate Ginebra for being the more aggressive team tonight, because they got a lot of free throws again,” said Racela, as TNT received just 16 foul shots, while the other team had 33. “Again, they were more aggressive than us, despite taking fifteen less two-point field goals.
“Going to the Finals, I hope both teams should be aggressive – and that will dictate who will get more free throws.”
TNT’s season is still a commendable one, as they’ve had two semis appearances and a Finals date under their belt. And in his first season, Racela realized that wanting to win a chip means getting past a San Miguel team.
“I’m happy that for three conferences, we were able to advance to the playoffs – twice in the semis, one in the finals. It just so happened that in all the three conferences, we played a San Miguel team,” said the former FEU coach. “You know how tough it is to play a San Miguel team. It’s really hard.
“And if you want to win a championship, we really have to get past a San Miguel team.”
