Calvin Oftana picked up the scoring slack for TNT's local crew as the Tropang Giga advance to the PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals even without the injured Jayson Castro.
Jayson Castro’s unfortunate season-ending knee injury moved his TNT teammates to double the effort and contribute more than their usual share to fill in the void.
And one of the players who fully embraced this challenge is Calvin Oftana, who broke out of a mini slump to play a key role as the Tropang Giga finished off tough Rain or Shine in five games in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinal series with back-to-back wins.
After a meager 10-point average on a 7-of-21 shooting (33 percent) in Games 2 and 3, Oftana summoned back his old deadly touch and sizzled with a team-high 26 points as TNT took Game 4, 93-85, for a 3-1 lead.
The Gilas Pilipinas mainstay followed this up with a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double to lead the local support for Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (42 points) as the Tropang Giga sealed the clincher in Game 5, 97-92, to set another title duel with old rival Barangay Ginebra.
For such strong outings at the pivotal stage, Oftana was named the PBA Press Corps-Pilipinas Live Player of the Week for the period March 5 to 7.
“Malaking bagay kapag nakapag-contribute ako sa team para manalo kami, lalo na ngayong wala si kuya Jayson,” said the 28-year-old, stressing that every healthy body in the TNT fold is carrying the same mindset as they try to make it two titles in Season 49.
“It's not just about me naman, eh, yung mga effort ng kasama ko [are as crucial]. Yung intangibles, like si Kim [Aurin], more sa depensa, si Kuya Kelly [Williams], yung leadership niya sa loob, ang presensya niya sa pagbantay kay [ROS import] Deon [Thompson], yung mga ganyang bagay,” he added.
Oftana beat Barangay Ginebra’s RJ Abarrientos and Jamie Malonzo, who were instrumental in the Gin Kings’ Finals-clinching 126-99 romp over NorthPort, and TNT teammate Rey Nambatac for the last POW citation for the mid-season conference given by the men and women covering the PBA beat from different broadsheets, tabloids, and online platforms.