TNT took its loss against Terrafirma to heart, bringing with it the lesson it learned as it crushed fellow import-less NorthPort in the PBA Season 49 Governors' Cup on Sunday, Sept. 22.
Stopped on its tracks by a win-thirsty Terrafirma that eventually got what it played for three days ago, TNT quickly got back to work and addressed the problem that caused them to score just 72 points against the Dyip's 84.
In their past two practices, Group A top seed Tropang Giga were finetuning their offense especially with the playoffs just around the corner.
"We've been working on our offense lately [in] the past couple of practices. You saw how much we struggled in our previous game; we scored only [72] points against Terrafirma," assessed TNT coach Chot Reyes.
"So we had to go back and take a look at what we were doing and what we could do to improve," Reyes added.
He saw "some positives" in his charges' response as they churned out a 99-79 bounce-back win against the Batang Pier.
Without reinforcement Rondae Hollis-Jefferson who aggravated his bruised right ankle in the Tropang Giga's shock setback against Terrafirma, the locals were up to the task.
JP Erram stepped up with 17 points and 13 rebounds in more than 27 minutes of play, earning him Player of the Game honors. Rey Nambatac also made an impact with his 15 points, 11 rebounds and four steals.
RR Pogoy scored 14, Henry Galinato produced 11 points and seven rebounds, veteran Kelly Williams and Calvin Oftana combined for 16 points while the remaining eight players contributed at least a point for TNT.
The Tropang Giga converted 40 percent of its 90 attempts from the field, bettering its foe who went 28-for-81 for 34.6 percent.
"To be able to score better even without Rondae. So I think that's No. 1," said Reyes.
TNT turned it up a notch in the second quarter, outgunning NorthPort, 24-11, in the frame to overhaul a 19-25 deficit in the first.
The Tropang Giga thus found itself ahead, 43-36 at the turn and never looked back, posting leads of as many as 25 points, 99-74, heading to the finish line.
Defense will just be as important, according to Reyes.
"Our offensive efficiency has to pick up for the playoffs while, at the same time, keeping our defensive intensity. I think that's very important," said Reyes.
"I think our defense is what has carried us through when our offense has been struggling. We have to maintain that and improve on the offense."
The Tropang Giga must not let up, especially with the bigger battles ahead.
"One thing is for sure, what got us here won't get us to the next level. So we have to now focus on getting to the next level if we want to go deep in the playoffs," said Reyes.