TNT coach Chot Reyes has time and again said the PBA landscape has changed, with his thoughts not without basis.
Reyes insists all the teams have upgraded, one of them is the dangerous Rain or Shine team that the Tropang Giga face in one of the quarterfinals matchups in PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup.
It's a duel between the fourth seed and the No. 5 -- an exciting best-of-three pitting two teams that were among those which finished with identical 6-5 win-loss cards in the single-round-robin elims.
The Tropang Giga barely squeaked past the Elasto Painters, 108-107, in their elims showdown, and it could well be an indication of the kind of battle they would bring on the floor.
They fight for first blood at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, and it could be more of desire and determination, with neither side seen to having a significant edge over the other.
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Both failed to make it past the quarterfinals last conference, and each side aches to get past that round this time.
"Last conference 0-5 start namin bago nagpapanalo. This time 0-4, bago nagpapanalo. We'll see kung hanggang saan makakarating," said coach Yeng Guiao on their ride in his return to Rain or Shine from NLEX.
The Elasto Painters have actually been on a struggle for quite some time now or since the last time they made the semifinals back in the 2019 Commissioner's Cup.
They look promising, though, with the young guns added to the team.
Reyes and his chargers don't overlook that.
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"All of the teams have really upgraded. TNT, we are no longer the mighty TNT and I think the sooner we accept that fact, the better it is going to be for us," said Reyes.
Grizzled warriors Jayson Castro, Kelly Williams, RR Pogoy and their teammates could well be in for a tough, tough test versus ROS' young crew including Andrei Caracut, Anton Asistio, Leonard Santillan, Gian Mamuyac, Jhonard Clarito and Keith Datu.
Then there's Beau Belga, who at 37, is enjoying his best numbers with averages of 17.6 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists.
"Late maturing lang siguro si Beau," said Guiao. "At siguro reflection kung ano ang pinupuhunan niya. Namumuhunan siya ng pagod sa practice, at laging nandon ang leadership niya."
Technically, it could be a deliberate halfcourt game for TNT versus Rain or Shine's run-and-game play.(SB)
