MANILA: Without the flare, without the fanfare, Tropang TNT got the job done in the fourth quarter on Wednesday night to tear Barangay Ginebra apart and look as fearsome as the Texters have never been in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
David Simon went about his quiet ways to shoot 12 points in the fourth period where the defending champion Texters broke away to post a 107-92 victory that took the Gin Kings out of the running for a twice-to-beat privilege in the first round of the playoffs at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
Simon finished with 30 points and 14 rebounds and three locals combined for 44 more for the Texters, who tied their victims at 5-4 to stay in the running towards qualifying in the upper half of the draw in the quarterfinals.
Jockeying for positions reaches its most crucial stages starting this week with the chase for a twice-to-beat privilege, which comes with a top two finish, now practically down to league-leading Meralco, San Miguel Beer and Alaska.
Qualifying Nos. 3-6 is also important since it would mean an appearance in a best-of-three series, as finishing as the seventh and eighth seeds would require beating Nos. 2 and 1, respectively, two straight times to make the Final Four.
And while Ginebra was missing dunks and layups, TNT was efficient and flaunted a killer’s instinct that was sorely missing in their previous outings.
“We were able to make stops, make shots and essentially, play better than them in the fourth quarter,” coach Jong Uichico told reporters. “That’s basically where we won it. We were tied after three (quarters).”
“A win is sweet whichever way it comes, most especially since we needed this game like they did.”
Rookie Troy Rosario hit 22 points, Mo Tautuaa finished with 12 and Jason Castro with 10, and the trio combined for 16 points in the fourth, just three shy of the total of Ginebra in the same stretch.
Import Othyus Jeffers scattered 28 markers that went with 16 rebounds and six assists, but no one was able to step up for the Kings when the chips were down in the payoff frame.
Phoenix Petroleum made the most out of a bizarre ending in regulation in its match with Blackwater earlier and went on to pull out a 124-120 victory over the Elite to stay in the running for a playoff berth.
Mac Baracael and import Kevin Pinkney had 21 points each and led a total of six players in twin digits for the Fuel Masters, who blew a 16-point third quarter lead before rising to 3-5 overall that kept them in the hunt for a quarterfinal slot.
Blackwater had a chance to win the game in regulation when Carlo Lastimosa was sent to the line by an RR Garcia foul for a four-point play with nine-tenths of a second remaining.
Lastimosa, who was complaining of a hurting right hand after that spectacular play, missed the free throw hard and right that took both sides to overtime at 109-all, before the Fuel Masters finished off the Elite in the extra five minutes.
Blackwater, after losing for the fourth straight game and dropping to 3-6 overall, effectively bowed out of contention, but not after coach Leo Isaac gave his players a piece of his mind in the dugout.
“Look, I know my basketball,” Isaac was quoted by a very reliable source as telling his players inside the locker room. “There is a good side and a bad side. I just hope you are not on the bad side.”
Isaac was obviously referring to the Lastimosa incident which could have won them the game and had them staying in the running.
A separate team insider said that assistant coach Aries Dimaunahan had even told Lastimosa that he should be replaced on account of the injury. The cager declined and threw up that horrendous free throw attempt.
That incident so disappointed team owner Dioceldo Sy that he left the venue immediately after the game.
Lastimosa would go on to score seven more points in overtime and finish with 28 after going scoreless in the first quarter. He had 14 of his total in total in the fourth period alone.
Rookie Art dela Cruz fired 21 points and import MJ Rhett scattered 18 and had 25 rebounds for the Elite, who couldn’t sustain an impressive start to the conference and will fail to make it past the eliminations for the first time this season.
Tournament format calls for the top eight teams to make it to the quarterfinals, with Nos. 1 and 2 earning twice-to-beat privileges against the eighth- and seventh-ranked qualifiers.
Those in the middle of the pack will play in separate best-of-three series with No. 3 and No. 6 colliding and Nos. 4 and 5 tangling for places in the Final Four.