Marvin Jones, unable to hold the Bolts in Game 3, will step aside as Meralco brings in Patrick Gardner. —PBA IMAGES
Meralco coach Luigi Trillo has allowed the sting of the Bolts’ Game 3 loss within the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals to settle.
Now, he simply wants his team to forget what has happened, reset and even the series.
“I expect us to be higher,” Trillo told the Inquirer on Tuesday over the phone. “I expect us to shoot higher. I expect us to play higher. This can be a long series.”
“It’s not over by an extended shot. This series is simply starting. We will’t dwell an excessive amount of on Game 3. That’s already water under the bridge.”
Forgetting won’t be that onerous.
There’s a lot for Meralco to concentrate on, especially with the team bringing in a brand new import in 7-foot import Patrick Gardner, who previously played in Japan’s B.League, after it became clear Marvin Jones wouldn’t be enough to hold the Bolts to the Finals.
Moving on from that Game 3 loss, nevertheless, won’t be easy.
Meralco, with its complete lineup intact, still absorbed a narrow 77-75 defeat to a TNT side that played without an import.
But Trillo was hardly surprised by the Tropang 5G’s ability to compete despite the absence of reinforcement, Bol Bol, who exited the conference early due to a partially torn Achilles tendon.
“There’s a reason why they’re a championship team,” Trillo said.
“There’s a reason why those guys made back-to-back All-Filipino Finals. I warned before the sport that even without Bol Bol, this TNT team knows tips on how to play together.”
Locals deliver
And now, the Bolts can have to cope with a reinforced Tropang 5G.
TNT has tapped former NBA player Chris McCullough to interchange Bol after earlier exploring options that included Darius Days, Marquese Chriss and eventually Malick Diouf. The Senegalese standout from the UAAP, nevertheless, didn’t secure clearance in time to change into the league’s first foreign student-athlete import.
“He’s a man who can really put the ball within the basket, so it’s not going to be easy,” Trillo said of McCullough. “We all know now we have our work cut out for us. It’s something latest that now we have to arrange for.”
“We all know McCullough is great in isolation. He’s got an excellent offensive game, he’s long and he’s an excellent pickup by TNT.”
TNT’s locals delivered when it mattered most in Game 3. Rey Nambatac led the Tropang 5G with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Calvin Oftana and Jordan Heading added 15 and 12 points, respectively.
Roger Pogoy finished with only nine points, but he knocked down the game-winning shot that gave TNT a vital 2-1 series lead.
The 2 teams clash anew on Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum. INQ