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TNT Comes In Rested Ready And Reloaded For San Miguel Finals Rematch
Photo credit: PBA
After finally getting the rest they badly needed, TNT is gearing up to give defending PBA Philippine Cup champion San Miguel Beer a much tougher fight when their much-awaited finals rematch tips off this Wednesday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
Coach Chot Reyes believes the luxury of at least a week’s rest before Game 1 could work wonders for the Tropang 5G, especially with the team coming in healthier and more complete than the squad San Miguel beat in last season’s All-Filipino finals.
Except for Roger Pogoy, TNT will have Rey Nambatac, Simon Enciso, and Poy Erram all ready to go as they once again take on June Mar Fajardo and the Beermen.
Nambatac missed the playoffs in the final conference of Season 49, while Enciso and Erram both went down with injuries during the finals—key losses that played a huge role in San Miguel’s 4-2 series win.
“Obviously, in the last finals we didn’t have Rey Nambatac, and then we lost Enciso in Game 4 and Erram in Game 5. And wala na kaming Jayson Castro din nun,” recalled Reyes.
This time around, Reyes is hoping the healthier lineup can finally tilt the balance.
“Hopefully, having Rey Nambatac in, the addition of Jio Jalalon, and a healthy Poy Erram, sana I hope it makes a difference. We all know how strong that team is.”
That urgency to stay healthy was exactly why TNT pushed hard to close out Meralco as quickly as possible in the semifinals. Even when the Tropang 5G were down by five in the final 23 seconds of Game 5, they refused to fold, pulling off a dramatic 99-96 win behind clutch plays from Nambatac and Jordan Heading to end the series, 4-1.
Rest and recovery, Reyes stressed, were lessons learned the hard way.
“We really have in the back of our minds na sana makapahinga kami ng mas matagal. Our learning nung last time na nasa finals kami and natalo, halos hindi na namin natapos yung series. Puro injured na yung mga players,” he said.
“So napakahalaga nung rest and recovery in a series. So importante sana makapahinga kami ng husto. In fact yung ang nakalagay sa board namin before the game – ‘Finish the job.’”
As for Pogoy, Reyes doesn’t expect him to be ready for the finals after re-injuring his hamstring in Game 4 of the semis against the Bolts.
Still, the rest of the roster is good to go.
“Knock on wood, wala namang major (injuries),” Reyes said. “Hopefully, we can go through this entire series fully healthy.”
Reyes shared these thoughts during an interview with former PBA commissioner Noli Eala on his weekly Power and Play program.
Coach Chot Reyes believes the luxury of at least a week’s rest before Game 1 could work wonders for the Tropang 5G, especially with the team coming in healthier and more complete than the squad San Miguel beat in last season’s All-Filipino finals.
Except for Roger Pogoy, TNT will have Rey Nambatac, Simon Enciso, and Poy Erram all ready to go as they once again take on June Mar Fajardo and the Beermen.
Nambatac missed the playoffs in the final conference of Season 49, while Enciso and Erram both went down with injuries during the finals—key losses that played a huge role in San Miguel’s 4-2 series win.
“Obviously, in the last finals we didn’t have Rey Nambatac, and then we lost Enciso in Game 4 and Erram in Game 5. And wala na kaming Jayson Castro din nun,” recalled Reyes.
This time around, Reyes is hoping the healthier lineup can finally tilt the balance.
“Hopefully, having Rey Nambatac in, the addition of Jio Jalalon, and a healthy Poy Erram, sana I hope it makes a difference. We all know how strong that team is.”
That urgency to stay healthy was exactly why TNT pushed hard to close out Meralco as quickly as possible in the semifinals. Even when the Tropang 5G were down by five in the final 23 seconds of Game 5, they refused to fold, pulling off a dramatic 99-96 win behind clutch plays from Nambatac and Jordan Heading to end the series, 4-1.
Rest and recovery, Reyes stressed, were lessons learned the hard way.
“We really have in the back of our minds na sana makapahinga kami ng mas matagal. Our learning nung last time na nasa finals kami and natalo, halos hindi na namin natapos yung series. Puro injured na yung mga players,” he said.
“So napakahalaga nung rest and recovery in a series. So importante sana makapahinga kami ng husto. In fact yung ang nakalagay sa board namin before the game – ‘Finish the job.’”
As for Pogoy, Reyes doesn’t expect him to be ready for the finals after re-injuring his hamstring in Game 4 of the semis against the Bolts.
Still, the rest of the roster is good to go.
“Knock on wood, wala namang major (injuries),” Reyes said. “Hopefully, we can go through this entire series fully healthy.”
Reyes shared these thoughts during an interview with former PBA commissioner Noli Eala on his weekly Power and Play program.
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Jan 19, 2026
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