TNT Tropang Giga’s Calvin Oftana in a PBA Philippine Cup game against Ginebra. –PBA IMAGES
Calvin Oftana knows that having played under coach Tim Cone doesn’t give him any insight in any respect as to what to anticipate when he leads TNT against Barangay Ginebra within the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals.
“You can not really study the mind of Coach Tim when it comes to what he desires to implement,” Oftana said on Thursday when the Tropang Giga and the Gin Kings braved the gloomy weather brought on by Severe Tropical Storm “Kristine” to attend the pre-Finals press conference contained in the Enderun campus in McKinley Hill, Taguig City.
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Nobody can fault the fans in the event that they get Gilas Pilipinas feels when Ginebra and TNT battle for the championship of the season-opening conference. In any case, a variety of the personalities from each teams have been called as much as play for the national team.
READ: 2024 PBA Finals schedule: Barangay Ginebra vs TNT Tropang Giga
And it starts with each head coaches.
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Current Gilas Pilipinas head coach Cone takes on his national team predecessor Chot Reyes, who’s eyeing to offer TNT its tenth championship and retain its hold of the tournament it ruled through the last edition in 2023.
“He’s really been my mentor throughout our time in coaching,” Reyes said of Cone. “But ultimately, I even have developed my very own style, he has developed his own style and philosophy.”
After which there are the players.
Oftana is one in all five TNT players, including veterans Jayson Castro and Kelly Williams, RR Pogoy and Poy Erram, who’ve played for the national squad under Cone or Reyes—or each—up to now decade.
Ginebra, meanwhile, has resident import Justin Brownlee, who has been the Philippines’ naturalized player for the reason that historic gold medal run within the Hangzhou Asian Games, while Thompson, Japeth Aguilar, RJ Abarrientos and LA Tenorio are other former or current Gilas mainstays.
But will that play a consider the series that starts on Sunday at Ynares Center in Antipolo City?
“I don’t know if it would be that much of a differentiator within the series apart from that similarity,” Reyes said. “But aside from that, I’m approaching this series as TNT. And I’m sure Tim is approaching this series as Ginebra.
“After the series, we are able to all return to being Gilas or former Gilas. But for this series, that is TNT and Ginebra,” he added.
Oftana thrilled
The Finals also sees the import matchup pitting Brownlee and TNT’s Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, whose presence helped the Tropang Giga defeat Ginebra within the 2023 Governors’ Cup Finals—the last time this tournament was played and likewise the last time that each squads battled for a title.
Adding some layer to the Gilas factor is Hollis-Jefferson, who was on the losing end of the Philippines’ Asiad gold feat as a naturalized player for Jordan.
Except for facing Cone, Oftana can be thrilled to finally play against Thompson, his buddy and national team roommate. The 2 have battled injuries within the recent 12 months, but are expected to play pivotal roles for his or her teams.
“The last time I faced Scottie, he wasn’t totally healed. But now, I feel he’s 100% ready for this Finals,” Oftana said.
Team officials Ricky Vargas of TNT and Alfrancis Chua of Ginebra also oversaw the national team that won the Asian Games gold medal.
