PBA

TNT focused on getting better before looking ahead to PBA finals clash vs Magnolia

After a grueling semifinals series against the San Miguel Beermen which ended in a Game 7 win, 97-79, on Sunday, the TNT Tropang Giga have now set up a meeting with the Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok in the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup finals stage.

However, the Tropang Giga admitted they hadn't had the luxury of looking ahead to Magnolia as of yet.

"Ang hirap talaga talunin ng San Miguel so wala pa talaga 'yun," TNT's RR Pogoy said when asked about his thoughts on the upcoming finals match.

"Kung mahirap 'yung San Miguel, siguro sa finals mas mahirap pa 'yung Magnolia ang kakalabanin namin," Pogoy admitted. "Maganda ang itinakbo nila, may dahilan kung bakit nasa finals sila."

TNT head coach Chot Reyes, meanwhile, hopes his team continues to show improvement as they face the Hotshots.

"In the finals, that's exactly how we will approach it: how we can be better in the finals than in the semifinals."

And as for their chances of going against a tough Magnolia squad? Reyes believes that just being in the finals means they have a shot at winning it all.

"There's a reason why they are in the finals," he said. "The fact that we're playing, we'll always have a 50-50 chance."

But they will not rest on their laurels just yet.

"I respect Coach Chito [Victolero] a lot. He's done an excellent job with his team. For now, we'll just focus on what we need to do as a team."

The best-of-seven finals series is expected to begin this week.

—JMB, GMA News