Adrian Nocum was doing everything for Rain or Shine before going out with cramps in the final three minutes of TNT’s win.
TNT dodged a bullet.
This was coach Chot Reyes’ assessment quick in the aftermath of Tropang Giga’s thrilling 108-107 win over Rain or Shine in his return at the helm on Wednesday, Feb. 28.
Reyes pointed out the Elasto Painters’ woeful free throw shooting that saw them miss 18 shots from the foul line.
“I think we’re just lucky Rain or Shine missed their free throws… If Rain or Shine made half of the free throws that they missed, I think we would have lost this ball game easily. We dodged a bullet in this ball game,” he said after the match at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
“I thought Rain or Shine outplayed us the entire game. We’re just a bit steadier in the end," he added.
But Tropang Giga got their biggest break when Adrian Nocum went down with cramps with still 2:30 remaining and Rain or Shine still up, 104-101.
After that, Calvin Oftana took over, first by unloading the triple that gave TNT the 106-104 lead with 1:51 to go. He would later score on a left-handed layup with 45 ticks left on the game clock as TNT went on to claim the victory.
Before going out, Nocum had carried Rain or Shine on his shoulders. He wound up with 20 points, two rebounds, and four assists.
“We got a break when Nocum went out with cramps because we couldn’t stop him. We put our best guys on him and he was still scoring easily,” Reyes said.
TNT now shifts its focus on Saturday’s game against Blackwater, which is coming off a confidence-boosting 96-93 win over Meralco.