The injury bug flew by and bit TNT.
The TNT Tropang Giga torched the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in Game 4 of the 2023 PBA Governors’ Cup finals on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Hitting a record 21 three-pointers, TNT tied the series at 2-2. And yes, the Tropang Giga did it without one of their best players in RR Pogoy.
The Cebuano swingman fractured his right pinky in the previous outing, and will now miss the rest of the championship match against the defending champions. Despite the impressive series-tying victory, expect TNT to sorely miss the services Pogoy somewhere along the way. The two-way player is averaging 18.2 points in the first two games versus Ginebra.
Tropang Giga coach Jojo Lastimosa gave an update on the former FEU Tamaraws' health status after his team’s historic shooting night.
“We’re going to miss Roger [Pogoy] in this series. We don’t know what’s going to happen [in this series]. I just hope that Calvin [Oftana] will continue to shine. And so does Kib [Montalbo] and so does Jayson [Castro},” Lastimosa divulged at the postgame presser.
Castro scored 17 points in Game 4, while Oftana and Montalbo added 16 markers apiece. Coach Jolas is banking on the trio to stay sharp for the rest of the finals as Pogoy is projected to be sidelined for quite a while.
“Broken talaga,” Coach Jolas, pointing to his pinky finger while describing RR’s injury.
“Two to three months (Pogoy will be out), talking to a guy who has an experience with a broken hand,” the TNT mentor elaborated.
If the 30-year-old Cebuano cager will indeed be out for two to three months, that means he’s also likely to miss a chance to be with Gilas Pilipinas in its preparation for the FIBA World Cup. That’s a big deal considering Pogoy’s defensive prowess and his ability to explode offensively at any given moment.