Roger Pogoy showed that he’s a man of his word after helping TNT tie its PBA Governors’ Cup Finals series versus Barangay Ginebra, Wednesday night.
It could be remembered that the two-way specialist vowed to find ways how to be effective on both ends after a poor Game 1 showing, and he did after firing 17 points that enabled the Tropang Giga to leave with the 95-82 victory.
He shot 41-percent from the floor including a 3-of-6 clip from beyond the arc, and also collected seven rebounds, three assists, and a pair of steals against just a single turnover — all while helping defend Justin Brownlee.
The three-time Best Import, after being given different looks on D, struggled and wound up with just 12 points on 3-of-16 shooting from the floor.
“Mindset ko talaga kanina is ‘di ko inisip kung ano ‘yung laro ko nung Game One. Inisip ko na titira ko talaga kung ano ‘yung bibigay nila,” Pogoy told reporters moments after the game at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
“Babawi talaga ako. Hindi lang sa points, pati sa depensa. Buti na lang. Glory to God, na na-shoot yung mga tira ko,” he furthered.
Pogoy struggled in the series curtain-raiser last Sunday, tallying just six points on a measly 2-of-10 clip — 1-of-5 from 3 — as he found it difficult to balance things out no thanks to the extremely challenging task of guarding Brownlee.
But he didn’t allow that outing to drag his confidence down as he promised to find his shots, which he did that helped the Tropa a great deal.
“Medyo aggressive ako. Nung Game 1 kasi parang hesitant ako e, ‘di ba? Medyo hindi ko tinitira,” the Far Eastern University product recalled.
“Ngayon. ‘pag nakuha ko ‘yung bola, bahala na. Pukol, tira lang nang tira,” the Cebuano cager added in between chuckles.
Pogoy and Co. are indeed glad to have tied the series at one game apiece but it isn’t lost on the entire squad that the job isn’t done yet.
“Hirap kasi maging 2-0, ‘di ba. Natabla namin so unang-una, masaya kami. Pero hindi pa contented,” said the 30-year-old, who’s out to win PBA title no. 2.
“Kasi nga seven-game [series] ‘to ‘di ba, sino unang maka-apat. Basta kung ano ‘yung magandang ginagawa namin, patuloy lang. Lalo na ‘yung effort talaga.”
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The 2023 PBA Governors Cup Finals is live-streamed on SMART Sports.
