THE defending champion Meralco Bolts are back in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup semifinals, and they relish the challenge of battling a PBA titan — the TNT Tropang 5G.
For Bolts’ coach Luigi Trillo, facing TNT in a best-of-seven series is exactly what the defending champions desire. “This is what they (the team) want, go through the best. So nandiyan ang TNT. Now, this is going to be a good series,” Trillo declared.
Acknowledging the magnitude of the upcoming matchup, Trillo emphasized TNT’s pedigree and recent success.
“This is special. They (TNT) had their numbers quite a lot. In the last season, they won two conferences and missed one title. Now, they are very, very solid. It’s going to be a battle for us,” he added, highlighting the difficulty and excitement of the looming Sunday clash.
The Bolts, showcasing their grit and resilience, earned their 14th semifinal appearance in franchise history after completing a sweep of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, winning Game 2 of their quarterfinal clash 98-89 on Monday at the Araneta Coliseum.
Trillo lauded his team’s character, which was tested while juggling the PBA schedule with games in the East Asia Super League.
The coach recalled the team’s difficult start in the eliminations with a 3-4 win-loss record, putting them on the brink of elimination. However, three straight clutch wins resurrected their campaign and propelled them into the quarterfinal round.
“Just proud of the resilience of this team. When we were down, 3-4, won three straight. This is special,” Trillo said.
Skipper Chris Newsome led the charge for the Bolts in the clincher, scoring 31 points, with 18 coming in a decisive fourth-quarter explosion.
In the other semifinal bracket, the San Miguel Beermen will face off against the Barangay Ginebra Kings.
