Roger Pogoy felt proud of how TNT shared the responsibility on offense as the Grand Slam seekers got the head start in their PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup semifinal series versus Rain or Shine on Wednesday.
The night belonged to the two-way specialist after receiving the plaque in recognition of his entry to the league’s 5,000 points club, but nothing was more satisfying to him than seeing the majority of the Tropang 5G step up.
“‘Yung team namin, ganun talaga,” he offered during the postgame presser of their 98-91 victory at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay. “Palaging sinasabi nga ni Coach na hindi kaya ng isang tao lang manalo. Kailangan kaming lahat.”
A total of six players finished in double figures in the triumph, in yet another showcase of wealth for a team that’s been hounded by injuries.
Half of those players finished with solid double-double performances — Poy Erram (16 points), Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser (13 points), and Calvin Oftana (12 points). The frontcourt troika also collected 10 rebounds apiece.
The Tropa paid more attention to rebounds in particular, after seeing Jhonard Clarito’s exploits in Rain or Shine’s quarters clash versus the twice-to-beat NLEX, wherein he notched monster double-doubles.
(C) PBA Images
Still, their offensive firepower proved lethal considering the roster’s predicament. Pogoy himself showed the way as he fired a game-high 28 points on a 44-percent clip from the field, including a pair of treys.
He made 13 of his points in the final period, as he played a critical role in keeping them ahead after helping out in their third-quarter reversal.
Much of the credit, he said, was on the coaches’ reminder to slow down, which he did in a clear sign of further maturity as a player.
“Siguro ‘yung ‘pag hindi nagmamadali, yung dahan-dahan lang,” said the Far Eastern University product, who’s now in his ninth season in the league.
“Siguro ‘yun ‘yung malaking tulong kasi, ‘yun nga, palaging sinasabi ng coaches sa akin na pag umaatake, dahan-dahan lang kasi palagi ako natu-turnover dati eh,” added Pogoy, who only committed two turnovers in Game 1.
And that, for him, is doing whatever he can to be of help to the flagship MVP Group franchise in their quest to attain even more success.
“We’re not the [most] talented team sa PBA,” said the Cebuano star, “but gagawin namin lahat para maging best team sa PBA.”
#WATCH: DEFENSE DOES THE TRICK!
Coach Chot Reyes beams with pride after TNT’s gritty stand against the second-seeded Rain or Shine to claim Game 1 of their #PBA2025 semis clash 🏀#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/0HqYZH8e8j
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— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) June 25, 2025
