TNT’s quest to successfully defend its PBA Commissioner’s Cup crown ended in disappointment after falling to Barangay Ginebra, 88-76, in the winner-take-all Game 7 of the Finals at the Mall of Asia Arena on June 17.
The loss dashed the Tropang 5G’s hopes of capturing a 12th franchise championship and adding another title to their collection during the PBA’s milestone 50th season.
With TNT now shifting its focus to the upcoming PBA 50 Governor’s Cup, it is worth revisiting the key moments, costly mistakes, and missed chances that ultimately contributed to the team’s downfall in the championship decider.
C-Mac’s fourth personal foul
The momentum of the game shifted in Barangay Ginebra’s favour during the third quarter when TNT import Chris McCullough was assessed with his fourth personal foul, significantly impacting the Tropang 5G’s defensive setup.
Already dealing with Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser’s three fouls, TNT relied heavily on McCullough to match up against Ginebra’s frontline led by Japeth Aguilar and Troy Rosario.
Recognising the opportunity, the Gin Kings repeatedly targeted McCullough on offense, forcing him into difficult defensive situations and further limiting his aggressiveness around the basket.
The strategy paid off as TNT struggled to maintain its defensive intensity with McCullough forced to the sidelines. Ginebra capitalised on the in the third canto, closing the quarter with a decisive 12-0 run that wiped out a seven-point deficit and handed the Gin Kings a lead they would never relinquish.
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C-Mac missing five free throws
Despite dealing with foul trouble, McCullough helped keep TNT within striking distance as the Tropang 5G entered the fourth quarter trailing by only five points, 68-63, in the decisive Game 7.
McCullough continued to attack the basket aggressively, drawing fouls from several Ginebra defenders, including three from Justin Brownlee, one from Stephen Holt, and a flagrant foul from RJ Abarrientos that briefly forced the Gin Kings guard to the bench.
The sequence appeared to present TNT with a valuable opportunity to regain control of the game, as McCullough earned repeated trips to the free-throw line while Ginebra was temporarily without one of its key playmakers.
However, the Tropang 5G failed to fully capitalise. McCullough struggled from the charity stripe, making only five of his 10 free-throw attempts, including four crucial misses during the final quarter.
Those missed opportunities proved costly, as a perfect performance from the line would have been enough to erase TNT’s deficit and potentially shift the momentum in its favor during the closing stages of the championship decider.
No show: Calvin Oftana and Rey Nambatac
While Jordan Heading and RR Pogoy provided solid scoring outputs with 21 and 15 points respectively, TNT struggled to generate consistent production from two of its key performers, Calvin Oftana and Rey Nambatac.
Nambatac, the reigning Finals MVP, played 39 minutes but endured a difficult night, converting only one of his seven field goal attempts for a total of three points.
Nicknamed “Stingrey”, he was unable to replicate the form that powered TNT’s championship run in the previous season.
Oftana, on the other hand, appeared to still be hampered by a calf strain that had affected him late in the series. Despite suiting up and logging 31 minutes on the floor, the versatile forward struggled to influence the game, finishing with the lowest plus-minus on the team at minus-17.
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Newsjustnews writers 
Jheruleene Anne Ramos