Defending champion TNT Tropang 5G brace for lowly Blackwater with new coach Pat Aquino

Games on Tuesday
(Ynares Center-Antipolo)
5:15 p.m. – NLEX vs Macau
7:30 p.m. – Blackwater vs TNT

IT IS up against an opponent on the lower rung but defending champion TNT isn’t about to let its guard down facing Blackwater.

First off, coach Chot Reyes of the fifth-running Tropang 5G (3-2) believes the Bossing (1-4) have the tools to bring the hammer down against any team in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

Then the seasoned mentor expects Blackwater’s new strategist Pat Aquino to make some tweaks and the likes of 7-foot import Robert Upshaw III, Sedrick Barefield, Christian David and Dalph Panopio to be extra motivated to give him a victorious welcome gift in the 7:30 p.m. match at the Ynares Center-Antipolo.

“Blackwater is more than what their record shows actually,” said Mr. Reyes. “We have to figure out how to stop Mr. Upshaw. Mr. Barefield is playing very well, so do Messrs. David and Panopio. They have some real talent on that team and it’s going to be a real test for us for our defense.”

He also welcomed the challenge from Mr. Aquino, who took over from Jeff Cariaso after a storied stint with the successful Gilas Pilipinas women program. Mr. Aquino’s immediate task is to get the Bossing out of their two-game slide and revive their playoffs aspirations.

“That’s another thing. I’m sure they are going to be doing some new things. We all know how good of a coach Pat (Aquino) is. So in situations like this, teams normally respond very well. They respond positively to a new voice, a new face. So we have to be at our best to be able to compete,” he said.

Mr. Reyes’ troops led by 7-foot-2 Bol Bol with Calvin Oftana, RR Pogoy, Jayson Castro and Kelly Williams have their sights on a follow-up to their previous 101-89 drubbing of Terrafirma and a share of No. 4 with idle Ginebra (4-2).

Like TNT, third-running NLEX (4-1) is in no mood to lower its defenses against a Macau (0-6) crew bent on scoring a breakthrough in their 5:15 p.m. encounter.

He noted the Black Knight’s previous outing, which saw them narrowly lose to Meralco, 110-115, last Saturday.

The Road Warriors are looking to extend their streak to three and join Meralco (5-1) at No. 2 behind pacesetting Rain or Shine (6-0). — Olmin Leyba