A DOUBLE-edged sword.

That’s how coach Chot Reyes of defending champion TNT described his charges’ wait for their opponent in the Big Dance.

“We have to go back and make sure that we’re able to take advantage. There are always two sides to this,” Reyes said. “You can dull or lose your edge, or you can use it as a good recovery and keep sharp.

“So, it’s incumbent upon us now, the coaching staff and the players to use this to prepare as to whoever will be playing. Regardless, parehong malakas iyon,” he added.

Reyes spoke after the Tropang Giga ousted the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters 113-95 last Friday to wrap up their best-of-7 semifinals duel in the PBA Governors’ Cup.

The win enabled TNT to close out the series 3-1 and return to the finals opposite the winner between Ginebra and San Miguel Beer.

With a 3-2 edge in the race-to-4 battle, the Kings battled the Beermen last night in Game 6, raring to bag the last slot in the championship finale of the season-opening tilt.

A Ginebra triumph will forge a titular rematch with Tropang Giga, while a victory by SMB will drag the series to a sudden-death Game 7this Wednesday also at the Big Dome.

TNT’s calling card–defense — will be tested anew by either the Kings or the Beermen in the best-of-7 finals.

“There’s no secret to our game. We rally hang our hats on our ability to stop the other team,” Reyes said. “So, when we make stops, we give ourselves a lot of opportunities.”

Reigning best import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson shone anew for the Tropang Giga with a near triple-double 0f 36 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists while Roger Pogoy added 19 markers on three three-pointers.

Kim Aurin and Calvin Oftana also combined for 22 points for the Tropang Giga.

Reyes is convinced the respite will serve TNT in good stead.

“I like this position especially to be able to rest those with injuries like Jayson (Castro),” Reyes of his veteran playmaker who sat out the series-clinching win due to a groin injury.

This early, Hollis-Jefferson has fired a warning to the team they will take on in the finals.

“We’re ready. All we can do is enjoy ourselves. We got a win and we’re going to the finals,” he said. “But that’s not the end for us. We want to be champions at the end of the day.”

AFTER a scintillating Game 4 victory, all signs point to defending champion TNT returning to the Big Dance.

Just don’t tell that to Tropang Giga coach Chot Reyes.

“The finals are farthest from our minds right now,” Reyes said. “Our only thought is to prepare for the next game–Game 5.”

Whether TNT can get the job done will be known when it takes on a bloodied but unbowed Rain or Shine tonight in Game 5 of their best-of-7 semifinal duel in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

The match is set at 7:30 p.m. after Ginebra and San Miguel Beer break a 2-2 standoff in their own semis clash in the curtain-raiser at 5 o’clock.

The Tropang Giga pulled off an 81-79 decision against the Elasto Painters in the fourth game of the race-to-4 series last Wednesday to zoom to a 3-1 edge.

Reigning best import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Rey Nambatac, Calvin Oftana, Roger Pogoy, and veteran playmaker Jason Castro will be counted upon by Reyes to deliver anew.

With their backs against the ropes, Rain or Shine tactician Yeng Guiao is not one to raise the white flag just yet.

“We still feel good about the series. It would be hard to climb back. But we’re getting used to finding ways to win. Yes, we’re down but it could easily have been an even series. That’s our perspective. It’s positive,” Guiao said.

“We’re enjoying the series as we’re learning a lot, mayroon pa kaming puwedeng i-adjust na makakatulong sa amin.”

The Painters will pin their hopes on reinforcement Aaron Fuller, Leonard Santillan, Adrian Nocum, Andrei Caracut, Gian Mamuyac, Felix Pangilinan-Lemetti, and veterans Beau Belga and Gabe Norwood.

“They were firing on all cylinders. We had no answer them. They were hitting shots from the outside,” Kings strategist Tim Cone said after his charges absorbed a disappointing 121-131 loss to the Beermen in Game 4 also last Wednesday night.

“They were getting to the rim, getting the ball to June Mar (Fajardo). We just didn’t have an answer for them tonight. They’re just too good for us tonight.”

Cone will rely on resident import Justin Brownlee, who will team up with former MVP Scottie Thompson, Japeth Aguilar, Stephen Holt, and rookie RJ Abarrientos.

“Sana that thing doesn’t follow anymore,” SMB coach Jorge Gallent said, referring to the protagonists’ alternating victories in the series. “I just hope we change the tide in Friday’s game. Now nga, it’s a best-of-3 na lang so we’ll just think of it na Game 1 iyong Friday.

“In a best-of-three, Game 1 is very important, so I just hope tradition breaks on Friday.”

Aside from Fajardo, winner of eight MVP plums, the Beermen will bank on import EJ Anosike, CJ Perez, Terrence Romeo, Don Trollano, and Jericho Cruz.

Cone’s face turned red after the loss so expect the Kings to unleash their wrath tonight.

DEFENDING champion La Salle hurdled a gritty University of Santo Tomas side last Wednesday night, enabling the Green Archers to improve to 8-1 for the solo lead in the 87th UAAP basketball tournament.

This hardly surprised La Salle coach Topex Robinson, who said his squad is determined to keep its hold on the top in its bid to annex a second straight crown.

“We set high standards, we really make sure kasi iyon nga iyong challenge, not catching anybody, you know, wala kang hinahabol so we always try to challenge ourselves,” Robinson said. “Sabi ko nga winning really hides a lot of flaws so we’ll make sure that we’ll spend a lot of time fine-tuning whatever mistake that we made. Wala naman kaming ibang puwedeng gawin right now and we don’t really have control of what our next opponents will do.

“But we have control of how we’re gonna approach that again. So, a valuable lesson from this game, and then we’ll just have to go back to it and make sure that these things will happen again, we cannot avoid it, but we should know from this experience what to do,” he added.

Robinson spoke after his wards scored a 94-87 overtime win over the Growling Tigers, thanks mainly to the career-best 29 points of reigning MVP Kevin Quiambao that he laced with nine rebounds and three assists.

Mike Phillips also had 16 markers and 13 boards while Raven Gonzales added 11 and four for the Archers.

Robinson has fired another challenge to the Taft-based crew–it needs its A-Game against Adamson University when they clash tomorrow, Saturday, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.

“We know that Adamson is one of the best defensive teams in the league right now. Their numbers really show that they know how to play defense. Again, a well-coached program so we just have to make sure that we come in prepared and confident knowing that we have to do things also to give Adamson,” Robinson said. “Again, sa amin lang we don’t really look at where we are right now, but we’re focused on where we are headed. You know, iyon iyong lagi namin iniisip and we cannot rest right now because these are gonna be opportunities na baka pagsisihan namin sa huli.

“We know that it’s gonna be a tough one on Saturday and we’ll try to be prepared mentally and physically, especially that it is gonna be a 48-hour preparation so sa amin, it’s moving forward and learning from this experience. We’re excited, especially we’re gonna play in UST so it’s gonna be fun.”

Whether the Archers can win it all anew will be known before the end of the year.

TERRAFIRMA’S painstaking bid to gain relevance in the PBA will continue with coach Johnedel Cardel no longer calling the shots.

After six years, the Dyip parted ways with Cardel yesterday, with his erstwhile assistant, Raymond Tiongco, taking over at the helm.

Tiongco will be joined in the new-look Dyip brain trust by former manager Ronald Tubid and Raymond Gavieres.

Cardel replaced Ricky Dandan during the Commissioner’s Cup in 2018 but his stint with Terrafirma proved to be an agonizing struggle, posting just 32 wins against 114 losses.

In the last edition of the Philippine Cup, Cardel guided the Dyip to a surprise quarterfinals stint where they fell one win shy of a semifinals slot opposite eventual bridesmaid and powerhouse San Miguel Beer.

That Terrafirma quintet was bannered by the likes of reigning Rookie of the Year Stephen Holt, Isaac Go, Javi Gomez de Liaño, Juami Tiongson, and Andreas Cahilig.

Cardel, 54, a former La Salle player in the late 1980s to the early 1990s, could not be reached for comment yesterday.

“Of course, of course, maganda na iyong team, ang takbo ng team na ito. Dadagdagan na lang ito para maging stable at saka ma-maintain namin kung ano iyong performance namin nitong all-Filipino,” Cardel said when asked if he wanted to keep this line-up in a previous interview. “Kasi, All-Filipino pa rin tayo right? Kung ano lang iyong kulang naming iyon ang dapat (punuan). This coming All-Filipino, kailangang maging pulido kami.

“Maybe five, another point guard na malaki para makapagpahinga si Holt and si Juami, or maybe another shooter,” he added.

But things turned out differently.

The Dyip shipped Holt and Go to Ginebra in an off-season blockbuster trade for veterans Christian Standhardinger and Stanley Pringle.

Gomez de Liaño also left and brought his act to the Korean Basketball League.

Terrafirma tabbed Paolo Hernandez and Didat Hanapi in the last draft but it groped for from in the ongoing Governors’ Cup marked by an injury to original import Brandon Edwards even before the 49th season got going.

The Dyip wound up with a 1-9 slare in the season-opening meet–their only victory at the expense of the reigning champions TNT Tropang Giga–and proved to be Cardel’s last act with the franchise.

This case is a perfect reminder to strategists in the pro league–one is hired to be fired.

WITH fire in his eyes, reigning best import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson of defending champion TNT caught the ball from the backcourt and ferociously attacked the napping defense of Rain or Shine counterpart Aaron Fuller last night before rising for a lefty slam with 37.3 seconds remaining.

Propped up by Hollis-Jefferson’s clutch showing, the Tropang Giga outlasted the Elasto Painters 81-79 in Game 4 of their best-of-7 semifinals duel in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Hollis-Jefferson’s slam came on the heels of a Leonard Santillan and-one off a JP Erram foul that knotted the match one last time at 79-all with 45.7 to go.

That defensive lapse seemed to have lit the fire on Hollis-Jefferson, whose thundering throwdown left Fuller flabbergasted under the basket.

TNT coach Chot Reyes praised his charges for showing endgame poise against a gritty Rain or Shine side to atone for a painful 109-110 loss in the third tiff last Sunday and wrest a 3-1 series lead.

“We never felt that momentum was going our way the whole game. It was a grind, and we just kept reminding our players to stick with it. We knew it was going to be a grind,” Reyes said. “In fact, at the dugout at halftime we told them to prepare for 24 minutes of a battle of attrition. This is not gonna be easy by any stretch.

“We told them this was going to go down the wire and just be prepared and that’s exactly what happened. In the end it was just a matter of Rey (Nambatac) hitting a three-pointer, and Rondae had that slam dunk and then we made stops in a very closely fought ballgame, it just came down to those,” he added.

Hollis-Jefferson notched a game-high 23 points, to go with 16 rebounds, five assists, five steals, and five blocks for the Tropang Giga while Nambatac chipped in 15 markers, 11 boards, and four dimes.

Calvin Oftana also barely missed a double-double with 15 and nine for TNT.

The Tropang Giga can close out the race-to-4 clash in Game 5 for tomorrow at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

TNT battled the Painters to a 39-all standoff at the halfway mark before grabbing a 63-59 lead entering the final 12 minutes.

A Nambatac triple gave the Tropang Giga a 79-76 buffer in the final 1:16 before Santillan’s three-point play off an Andrei Caracut missed trey pegged another deadlock.

Fuller led the charge for Rain or Shine with 22 points and 18 caroms while Santillan contributed 11.

Further proof of Hollis-Jefferson refusing to lose this one? He blocked a Jhonard Clarito shot in the Painters’ next offensive thrust and after several misses from Caracut and Gian Mamuyac, Hollis-Jefferson stole the possession from Clarito with only 1.5 seconds to spare.

AFTER a woeful first round campaign, Far Eastern University rookie coach Sean Chambers boldly claimed his troops can still turn their bid around.

The Tamaraws have gone 2-0 since.

Showing it wanted more, FEU humbled National University 65-58 last night to kickstart a winning run in the 87th UAAP basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.

With the Bulldogs trailing 56-57, Royce Alforque drove hard in the middle and released a high-arching floater that kissed the glass and dropped in, giving the Tams more breathing room, before following it up with another layup that made it 61-56, only 1:19 to go.

PJ Palacielo quickly answered on the other end with a basket, but Jorick Bautista drained a dagger step back triple with 9.7 seconds left for FEU.

“I don’t want to sound like a broken record but like I said a couple weeks back, this second round will be a lot different for us,” Chambers, a PBA legendary import, said. “We’re getting comfortable and acclimated. We’re understating our goals and our game plans.”

Added Alforque on his endgame heroics: “Instinct lang talaga. Si Jorick dini-deny talaga, sa akin napupunta iyong bola so talagang nag-isip na lang ako ng paraan.”

The triumph served as a big follow up to the Morayta-based five’s 76-72 decision over Adamson University last Saturday and hiked its mark to 3-8.

NU failed to recover from a sorry 68-70 setback to the Ateneo Blue Eagles last Sunday and reeled off to 2-7.

Gambian center Mo Konateh unleashed a double-double of 22 points and 13 rebounds, to go with two blocks for FEU while Bautista chimed in 17 markers.

Veejay Pre added 12 points, seven boards, and five assists, while Alforque had nine markers, seven caroms, two steals, and a block.

The Tams took a 29-24 lead at the half but fell 44-48 going into the fourth canto.

But FEU outgunned the Bulldogs 21-10 in the final period to avenge a 60-62 loss to NU when they first met last Sept. 14.

Jolo Manansala carried the fight for the Bulldogs with 11 points and four rebounds while Palacielo had 10 and six.

Jake Figueroa also got nine markers and 13 rebounds for NU.

The Tams have moved on from a so-so first half performance of the cage wars and a second-round surge will certainly boost their lofty goal of making it back to the Fina Four after a two-season absence for the once mighty and perennial contenders.

IF there’s someone who fully knows San Miguel Beer is more than capable of bouncing back, it’s Ginebra coach Tim Cone.

Cone and the Kings typified fortitude when they essayed a 99-94 victory in Game 3 last Sunday after absorbing a sorry 125-131 overtime loss in Game 2 last Friday.

“No matter what happens to you, you have got to find a way to move forward. Whether it’s a good thing or bad thing, you gotta focus on what’s ahead of you,” Cone said. “There’s a real art in moving on when it comes to basketball and sports, and I think that’s a real valuable tool even in life.

“Whether we lose or whether we win, we have to continue to move on and look at the next game or look at the next thing. We’re not gonna dwell on, ‘We could’ve,’ or ‘We should have,’ the bottom line is this is where we are right now, and this is what we’re gonna deal with,” he added.

Whether Cone’s charges can topple the Beermen anew will be known when they clash tonight in Game 4 of their best-of-7 semifinals showdown in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The game is set at 7:30 p.m., with the Kings, armed with a 2-1 lead, bent on pushing SMB to the brink in the race-to-4 series.

Ditto with defending champion TNT, which is determined to make up for a heart-rending 109-110 defeat to Rain or Shine in Game 3 also last Sunday and move within a win of the Big Dance.

The two-day respite should reinvigorate the combatants in the Last Four, especially his team, according to Cone.

“We’re trying our best to keep June Mar (Fajardo) moving and play hard. We prefer them not having an extra day off, but this is something we need as well, so we’re gonna both cherish this, I think. We’ll try to recover our bodies,” Cone said. “I know Justin’s (Brownlee) gonna love it, and hopefully, he’ll be recharged to go. It’s important, I think, to have some extended breaks because it keeps the quality of the game high. When you can come in and play fresh, it keeps the quality of the game high.

“When both teams are worn out, sometimes the quality can go away. So, I like the fact that we’re getting a couple of days off.”

Ginebra will draw strength from the likes of Brownlee, former MVP Scottie Thompson, veteran big man Japeth Aguilar, Stephen Holt, and rookie RJ Abarrientos.

Aside from Fajardo, the reigning eight-time MVP, SMB will also count on reinforcement EJ Anosike, CJ Perez, Terrence Romeo, Jericho Cruz, and Don Trollano.

“I guess we lost the first two games because we turned the ball over a lot, giving them the opportunities to score in transition,” Elasto Painters tactician Yeng Guiao said.

“We managed some of our turnovers, and it became a high-scoring game where our chances of winning are better.”

The Kings and the Tropang Giga intend to pull closer to a title rematch, but the Beermen and Rain or Shine are out to give them a run for their money.

ARMED with a five-game winning streak, defending champion La Salle is favored to roll over University of Santo Tomas.

But Green Archers coach Topex Robinson disagreed, convinced his wards cannot afford to look past the Growling Tigers.

“We all know that this season will be the hardest for us,” Robinson said. “Just like what I always tell these players, that’s what you get for being the defending champions. Every team will come out with guns blazing when they play you.

“Gone are the days that you are just going to blow by teams because there’s so much respect for you now,” he added.

La Salle’s resolve will be tested anew when it takes on UST today in the 87th UAAP basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.

Tiff-off is set at 6 p.m. with the Archers training their sights on hiking their 7-1 mark and regaining the No. 1 spot.

National University tackles Far Eastern University in the curtain-raiser at 4 o’clock.

The Taft-based five will go into the tiff on a high, having avenged its first-round loss to the University of the East with a 77-68 win last Saturday.

Robinson will rely on his usually reliable Archers led by reigning MVP Kevin Quiambao, Mike Phillips. JC Macalalag, Vhoris Marasigan, and Joshua David.

With a 4-4 card for fourth, the Tigers are eager to rebound from a 73-83 defeat to the University of the Philippines last Sunday.

The Pido Jarencio-mentored UST side will pin its hopes on Malian big man Mo Tounkara, Nic Cabañero, Forth Padrigao, and Christian Manaytay.

“Everybody who got a chance to get at us when we were younger, now it’s time for us to turn the table. I believe that. I believe we’re going to be a problem for everybody moving forward,” Tamaraws strategist Sean Chambers said after his squad edged Adamson University 76-72 last Saturday to improve to 2-6.

“We’re starting to see the light of some of our offense and some of our schemes. I just feel like these guys are just getting there and I keep saying that it’s going to take one of our older kuyas to get over the hill for the young guys.”

The Bulldogs are smarting from a numbing 68-70 setback to the Ateneo Blue Eagles last Sunday that dropped them to 2-6.

With the second half of the cage wars underway, expect all teams to bring their A-Game as the race to the Final Four heats up.

BEHIND by just a solitary point in the final 3.1 ticks last Sunday night, defending champion TNT inbounded the ball to import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who drove hard for a lefty floater against Rain or Shine reinforcement Aaron Fuller and veteran Gabe Norwood.

The crowd at the City of Dasmariñas Arena and both teams held their breath as the ball bounced off the glass and hit the rim.

The shot looked good but the Elasto Painters and coach Yeng Guiao’s fervent prayers were finally answered by cage gods, their agonizing six-game dry spell in the Last Four dating back to the last conference finally ending in bittersweet fashion.

“Pahirapan iyong laro pero I think we passed the test of character,” Guiao said. “We were able to hang in there with a strong team, great import. Poy (Erram) probably played one of his best games.

“We were able to survive that. So, to us, every game is just a learning process, it’s a learning experience to us,” he added.

Guiao spoke after his charges nipped the Tropang Giga 110-109 in Game 3 of their best-of-7 semifinals clash in the PBA Governors’ Cup.

The Painters’ hard-earned triumph in front of a big crowd trimmed their deficit in the race-to-4 battle to 1-2.

More importantly, Rain or Shine averted a possible sweep–the same fate the Painters absorbed at the hands of the San Miguel Beermen in the semis of the last Philippine Cup.

“Mabuti nailusot namin kasi ayaw namin ulit na ma-sweep kami kamukha noong nangyari doon sa last semis namin with San Miguel,” Guiao said. “So, at least we can say, whatever happens, this is going to be a better conference for us.

“Also, we get ourselves back in the series. It gives us confidence that we can beat TNT. Their import played great. Poy played great but I think we played more as a team. We spread out responsibility.”

Fuller shone for Rain or Shine with 26 points, 15 rebounds, and two assists but none bigger than a three-point play conversion off a Roger Pogoy foul that pegged what proved to be the final count with 3.8 seconds left.

Leonard Santillan chipped in 20 markers and six boards while Jhoanard Clarito, Felix Pangilinan-Lemetti, and Adrian Nocum also did their part with 15, 11, and 10 points, respectively, as Rain or Shine rebounded from a 91-108 drubbing in the second tiff last Friday.

 Game 4 is set tomorrow at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“We’re able to weather the storm and come out on top,” Fuller said after his side squandered a 15-point third quarter edge (64-49).

Erram produced 27 points and grabbed five caroms for the Tropang Giga while Hollis-Jefferson supplied a triple-double of 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 dimes.

Pogoy, Rey Nambatac, and Calvin Oftana also got 22, 17, and 17n markers, respectively for TNT.

“We were looking to break the ice somewhat. So, we were just trying to focus on winning one game. After the Game 2 loss, I was talking to the guys, manalo lang tayo ng isan iyon muna,” Guiao said.

“Kasi mahirap naman na pangarapin mo makarating ka ng finals nang hindi ka nananalo ng isa. Iyon lang, focus lang tayo.”

Will their Game 3 victory galvanize the Painters? Guiao hopes so.

LIKE his counterpart Topex Robinson of defending champion La Salle, University of the Philippines coach Goldwin Monteverde is also moving on from the controversy that surrounded both teams.

He has just one appeal–the UAAP should make sure any similar incident would not happen, and the league takes care of the well-being of student-athletes.

“Online wise hindi ko naman alam iyong kung anong lumalabas sa usapin. The UAAP made the decision and siyempre kami we’ll abide by it and I’m sure naman on our part, hindi naman iyon basta desisyon lang na ginawa nila. Pinag-isipan ng maayos, nag-meeting ng maayos so samin siyempre we would respect that,” Monteverde said.

“Nangyari ang nangyari. Of course, at the end of the day I’m very confident naman na the UAAP would be very strict na wala nang mangyayari na insidente na pangdudura or something na ganoon bagay sa game.

“For me, what’s important is ang well-being ng mga players, si Reyland, lahat involved diyan and hopefully lang, siguro, hindi na mangyayari ulit,” he added.

Monteverde issued his sentiment after the Fighting Maroons scored an 83-73 win over the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers last Sunday night in the 87th UAAP basketball tournament.

The league last Saturday announced stern warnings were issued to Robinson and UP guard Reyland Torres for the incident that happened in the protagonists’ highly emotional duel last Oct. 6.

Torres alleged that Robinson spat at him during the game, but the Green Archers’ camp said the UP player provoked the incident by talking trash while passing by in front of their bench twice, leading to Robinson yelling at him.

The league said in a statement last Saturday that both allegations could not be proven to be true.

“Additionally, allegations that Mr. Torres used profane language, and that coach Robinson spat at Mr. Torres could not be conclusively proven based on testimonies and available evidence during the investigation,” the UAAP said.

Francis Lopez starred for the Maroons with 20 points and seven rebounds while Terrence Fortea added 16 markers.

Harold Alarcon and Quentin Millora-Brown also had 11 and 10 points, respectively, as UP rose to 7-1 in a tie with La Salle on top.

 The ugly incident is now behind the Katipunan-based cagers and Monteverde said his wards are not re-focusing their sights on the prize.

“Sa akin naman every game may mga takeaways kami especially with a team like UST. For us, you know, they have a good program. malakas iyong team nila,” he said. “So, every time na we’re competing against them definitely after the game pagu-usapan namin what to adjust on. So, we’re doing, nag-i-improve din kami.”