Calvin Oftana is eager to see action in his first-ever Game 7 as TNT and Ginebra face off one last time for the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup title.
For the first time in his career, Calvin Oftana will be playing in a winner-take-all Game 7 in the PBA.
TNT outlasted Ginebra in a thrilling Game 6, 87-83, in the Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup Finals Wednesday, March 26, sending Oftana to this unfamiliar scenario which he finds exciting.
“Hindi pa tapos. Kaya nga nandito tayo sa series na ito, sa championship na ito,” Oftana told reporters after the match at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
“It’s my first Game 7. Excited ako, and we’re just happy na nanalo kami ngayon. May isa pa kaming chance and it’s a do-or-die game.”
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Oftana played a key role in the Tropang Giga's recent victory, scoring all of his 14 points in the first half before cramps limited his impact in the latter stages.
Despite the hiccup, the 29-year-old forward remains determined to help his team in any way he can.
Calvin Oftana puts in 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals in the TNT Tropang Giga's Game 6 triumph in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup Finals. | Photo (c) RM Chua/One Sports
“Ganoon talaga. Kailangan kong maging aggressive, kailangan ako ng team ko sa ganoong bagay,” he explained.
“Pero nakita ninyo naman sa second half, grabe 'yong depensa nila sa akin. So I needed to help my teammates: let them do the scoring, and I’ll help them get open.”
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Oftana and the rest of TNT are ready to leave everything on the court as they stand on the threshold of copping back-to-back titles.
Game 7 is scheduled on Friday, March 29, still at the Big Dome at 7:30 p.m.