TNT faces grueling schedule in PBA restart ahead of World Cup qualifiers

TNT Tropang Giga will run into a busy schedule in the 2021 PBA Governors' Cup restart before reinforcing Gilas Pilipinas in the February window of the 2023 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

With the import-laced tournament set for resumption on Friday, February 11, TNT will face four powerhouse teams in a span of nine days. Of those clubs, three are owned by rival group San Miguel Corporation.

The Tropang Giga open their assignment on Friday against Magnolia Pambansang Manok Hotshots, the same team that they defeated to win the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup last October.

The Chot Reyes-mentored team will then take on Phoenix Super LPG on Sunday before meeting the San Miguel Beermen on February 16, Wednesday.

On February 18, they will be pitted against defending champion Barangay Ginebra San Miguel at 6 p.m.

Then starting February 24, Gilas Pilipinas, who sought the help of TNT in the February window, will take on archrival South Korea, then India and New Zealand on the 25th and 27th, respectively.

To close the window, the Filipinos will again slug it out against the Koreans on the 28th.

Reyes said the grueling schedule could help them in gaining enough preparation for the four-match window but said it could tire out the players, especially after a long break from the sport.

"This is very crucial. I think on one hand, it is going to make the TNT players who will play in the window very sharp and in game shape. But on the other hand, it can cause them fatigue," Reyes said in the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) virtual forum on Tuesday.

"It's a very thin line but we're not thinking about it anymore. We know it's very crucial but it is what it is."

Before the TNT-Magnolia showdown, sister teams Meralco and NLEX will battle it out in the opening salvo at 3 p.m. at the Araneta Coliseum.

This will be the first game since the league suspended the matches on January 3 due to the COVID-19 surge in the country.

—MGP, GMA News