THE pieces TNT has added to ease some of its manpower problems have slid in nicely, enabling the Tropang 5G to stretch their winning streak and be right in the thick of the hunt for a coveted slot in the next round.
Another gauge of how long Almond Vosotros and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser can prove they can help boost TNT to its lofty goals should be had in the 5p.m. match against Blackwater Friday in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Tapped to beef up the Tropa's backcourt following injuries to Jayson Castro and Rey Nambatac and Jielo Razon's recent appendectomy, Vosotros proved he deserves the call-up when he sparked a 94-70 win over NorthPort last Friday.
In that same game, Ganuelas-Rosser made his return from an ACL tear that sidelined him for more than a year, garnering five points and eight rebounds in helping TNT run its winning streak up to five for a 5-3 record overall.
"Nangangapa-ngapa pa iyon, pero the more games he can put under his belt mas mabuti pag malalakas na kalaban," said Tropa coach Chot Reyes of Ganuelas-Rosser, whose services were sorely needed when fellow frontliner Henry Galinato suffered a hamstring injury.
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Additional help should be had from Jordan Heading, should he be cleared to play, and fellow ex-Converge guard Mike Nieto as TNT guns for more wins.
The Tropa still have games against Barangay Ginebra on Sunday and Magnolia on June 13 and more wins would give them claim to one of the top four slots which carries with it a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
First, TNT has to contend with Blackwater, which Reyes considers as one legitimate threat despite the Bossing having lost five straight that put them at 1-7 and out of the running for quarterfinals slots.
"If you will remember, hindi masyadong maganda record namin sa Blackwater. Parang last game namin, NorthPort, din iyan. Palagi rin kaming napagtatalo sa NorthPort," Reyes pointed out. "So we're taking Blackwater very seriously."
Making Reyes more wary of the Bossing is its youth-laden lineup led by Sedrick Barefield, Christian David and RK Ilagan, who led their side in a near-upset of Barangay Ginebra last May 23.
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"They have two certified scorers, eh. Kailangang depensahan talaga si Barefield at saka si David. And then lately ang ganda pa ng inilalaro ni Ilagan," reasoned Reyes.
"'Yung last game nga nila matatalo na nga nila Ginebra, last second shot lang ni Japeth (Aguilar). So very serious threat talaga sila," added Reyes. (NC)
