It was not a case of ‘championship hangover’ as to why TNT fell flat in its PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup opener against NLEX on Wednesday.
Rather, it’s a need to further fine-tune particular details due to the short prep time the Tropang 5G had entering the season-ending conference.
“Obviously medyo wala pa roon sa rhythm, halos wala pa sa timing.” lamented Rey Nambatac shortly after their 91-74 defeat at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
“Nandun na ‘yung flow ng defense and offense but hindi pa ganun ka-tono, in short. Ayoko mag-excuse, pero siguro dahil lang sa short preparation namin.”
Nambatac disclosed that TNT weren’t able to celebrate their Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup title that much, as they had to buckle down to work for the Philippine Cup two weeks after their grueling series against Ginebra.
In fact, the Tropa went into a training camp at the Inspire Sports Academy in Laguna to ramp up their preparations for the tilt, in which they are among the most anticipated teams as they have a shot at a rare Grand Slam.
That’s why the so-called ‘championship hangover’ is no longer an issue for the traditional contenders, according to the newly crowned Finals MVP.
“Wala na, back to zero na kami. Tapos na kami roon. Wala nang hangover,” Nambatac said. “Actually hindi nga namin na-enjoy masyado yung championship namin kasi inaalala namin ‘tong conference na ‘to.
“Dahil nga, sobrang dikit nung schedule. Pero ganun naman talaga. Siyempre ito ‘yung pinaka-source of income natin so nag-prepare naman kami, nakapag-training camp pa kami last week.”
For him, although the flow is there, TNT has yet to polish some things on both ends of the floor, as seen from Wednesday’s match.
The Tropang 5G fell behind early, and although they rallied during the third quarter, the Road Warriors were just more in-form. They were able to break away for good come the fourth quarter toward their second win in a row.
It also helped Coach Jong Uichico’s charges that their confidence is at a high after their previous 109-95 victory over Rain or Shine, with a total of six players finishing in double figures in the victory.
Many of those were the younger ones, such as rookies JB Bahio (13 points and 12 rebounds), Xyrus Torres (13 points). and Brandon Ramirez (10 points), as well as sophomore winger Enoch Valdez (10 points).
As tough as their debut had turned out, Nambatac is hardly panicking since it’s only their first outing of the conference.
“Hindi lang talaga pa ma-tono ‘yung offense and defense namin,” said the 31-year-old, who had nine points. “Pero mao-overcome din namin ‘to.”
#WATCH: WALA PA SA TIMING
Rey Nambatac says TNT is still finding its rhythm after a quick prep for the #PBA2025 Philippine Cup 🏀
📹 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/gZQhpVo8Si
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) April 23, 2025
