TNT lived up to its billing as king of PBA 3×3 by capturing the Season 2 First Conference championship with a thrilling 20-17 win over Platinum Karaoke in the Grand Finals, Sunday night at the Robinsons Place Novaliches.
Almond Vosotros and Gryann Mendoza once again conspired down the stretch to tow the Tropang Giga past the guest team, in the process capping a dominant campaign in the opening festivities of the new season.
“How my players responded is really unbelievable,” said head coach Mau Belen, extremely proud of yet another achievement. “So, all kudos to them.”
Mendoza broke the deadlock through a layup with 19 seconds to go, after which Vosotros hammered the final nail on the coffin by going two-for-two from the foul line to run away with the crown and the P 750,000 prize money.
Vosotros led the way with eight points. Mendoza added seven, while Lervin Flores and Ping Exciminiano combined for five for TNT, which became the first team to win two conference titles in the PBA’s halfcourt competitions.
(C) PBA Images
“Sobrang happy na naka-back-to-back kami,” said Vosotros, who earned SMART Top Scorer honors for the fourth straight conference.
The Tropang Giga ended their Season 1 campaign by claiming the Third Conference championship last July behind a dramatic overtime win over Purefoods — a win also brought by the Vosotros-Mendoza tandem.
They then picked up from where they left off as the team topped three out of the six legs in the First Conference of the new season, making the flagship MVP Group franchise the no. 1 seeded team heading into the Grand Finals.
TNT routed NorthPort in the quarterfinals, 21-11, and then turned back fourth-seed Cavitex in the semis, 21-16, to earn a return trip to the title bout.
“Sa practice pa lang, we take it seriously, and make sure we stay focused kung gusto naming maulit ‘yung nagawa namin last conference,” said Belen.
Platinum Karaoke, on the other hand, went up the ladder after going through the pool play, and proved it is for real when it hacked out a 19-15 victory against newcomers yet no. 3-seed J&T Express in the quarters.
The team of coach Anton Altamirano survived Meralco by the skin of its teeth in the semis, 16-15, to arrange the finals showdown with the Tropa.
Platinum fell early on, 5-0, but clawed its way back and even took a 15-14 lead following two free throws by Nico Salva inside the final two minutes.
It last held the lead at 17-16 on a pair of Yutien Andrada free throws with 41 seconds left, but could not find the gear to finish it off as the Tropang Giga raced back by scoring the last four points of the match for the win.
It was the second runner-up finish for Platinum Karaoke, seeded sixth, after similarly ending up at second place during the Season 1 First Conference Grand Finals behind champions — and TNT’s ex-rivals — Limitless App.
The quartet of Salva, Andrada, Terrence Tumalip, and Brandon Bates received the runner-up purse worth P 250,000 as a consolation.
Finishing at third place, meanwhile, is CAVITEX after beating another perennial contender Meralco, 16-11. The Braves took home P 100,000 as well.
The scores:
Finals
TNT (20) – Vosotros 8, Mendoza 7, Flores 3, Exciminiano 2.
Platinum Karaoke (17) – Salva 7, Tumalip 5, Bates 3, Andrada 2.
Third place game
CAVITEX (16) – Napoles 7, Galanza 7, Fajardo 2, Saldua 0.
Meralco (11) – Batino 5, De Vera 4, Gonzaga 2, Caduyac 0.
