There should be no denying how impactful Poy Erram could be when he’s fully healthy, and solid proof of that was his performance on Sunday night.
All healed up from the knee injury he suffered last July, the 36-year-old fired 27 points and nine rebounds to lead TNT to a 103-82 victory over Meralco to build a commanding 3-1 lead in their PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup semifinal series.
It was easily his best showing since coming back into action and also his career second-best in scoring, according to league stats chief Fidel Mangonon III.
“Hindi naman conscious [effort], aggressive lang na makatulong in any way possible,” he said of his outing after the match at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Aggressive, indeed, was Erram right from the get-go, scoring 11 of the Tropang 5G’s first 12 points of the game before entering the halftime intermission with already 21 to his name behind a perfect 8-for-8 clip from the floor.
That great start wasn’t really by design, although his game as a whole was part of the coaches’ adjustments to work their way around the Bolts’ defensive gameplan that’s practically predicated on denying their heavy hitters.
(C) PBA Images
“That’s what series are, right? It’s the ability to make adjustments,” Coach Chot Reyes said. “The reason why Calvin [Oftana] and Jordan [Heading] weren’t getting their touches was that they did a great job denying.
“But when they do that, it opens up the inside, and that’s why Poy did a great job capitalizing on that,” added the champion bench tactician.
Erram certainly did his part, but stepping up in that manner was also his way of showing how ready he always is whenever his number is called.
TNT also relied on his services whenever the situation demanded it, especially with starting center Kelly Williams seeing limited action due to being under the weather.
“Nangyari na lang siya kasi sabi nga ni Coach, nag-stay sila kina Roger, Calvin. So ako I’m just trying to be aggressive, luckily nashu-shoot ko naman yung mga tira ko,” said the 12-year pro, who was averaging 2.0 points entering Game 4.
“Sobrang blessed,” he continued, “kasi ‘yung mga teammates ko, kahit hindi ako masyadong ginagamit, yung tiwala nila sa akin lalo na ‘yung mga coaches, maysakit si Kuya Kelly, tas ako agad yung nilagay sa starting five.
“‘Yung mindset ko lang talaga was just being ready, kasi hindi mo alam kung kailan ka tatawagin ulit ‘di ba.”
#WATCH: WE GOT A BREAK 🏀
Chot Reyes is glad to take a dominant 3-1 lead over Meralco, but is worried about the status of Roger Pogoy#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/cbI1SFALac
📹 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/CzgLfWOUjO
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) January 11, 2026
