CHOT Reyes and TNT go to war against Barangay Ginebra without their five-star general.
In the absence of long-time heart-and-soul Jayson Castro, Reyes admitted it's going to be a challenging task battling the Kings for the PBA Commissioner's Cup championship.
Castro is out for the rest of the season after suffering a right knee injury in Game 2 of the team's semifinals series against Rain or Shine.
Despite the absence of the 38-year-old veteran, the Tropang Giga still found a way to get rid of the Elasto Painters and set up a championship rematch with the Kings.
Now Reyes braces for an uphill battle against a Barangay Ginebra side that will come to the best-of-seven title series with additional firepower in Troy Rosario and fit-again players Jamie Malonzo and Jeremiah Gray.
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"If this (Rain or Shine semis series) was difficult, the next one is going to be 10 times more difficult," said the TNT coach.
Of course, the Tropang Giga will missed a lot in the absence of Castro, adjudged the Finals MVP when TNT defeated Ginebra in their Governors' Cup finals showdown last November.
"Jayson is much more than just the skills he brings to the table. It's a lot of other things - leadership, maturity, reading the game. So in a finals, those are very, very important. Those are critical elements," said Reyes.
The week-long break heading to Game 1 on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena augurs well for the Tropang Giga to keep in step against the full-strength Ginebra team.
"We need to rest and we need to find ways to make sure that we come out and play our best. That's our only way to compete," said Reyes.
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"We just not have to worry that he's (Castro) not here, and just fight with who is here. And what we have right now, we really have no choice but to go out there and give it our best. And we'll just see what happens." (RG)
