Chot Reyes, TNT brace for herculean task of netting rare PBA Grand Slam

The pressure is on for TNT after ruling the first two conferences of the PBA Season 49.

The Tropang Giga repeated over Ginebra in Game 7 of the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup Finals to put themselves in a rare position to score a hat-trick of championships — a Grand Slam.

TNT opened the season with a title in the Governors' Cup after also subduing the Gin Kings in six games in the championship round last November.

[RELATED STORY: Cone says TNT deserves PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup title more than Ginebra]

Tropang Giga coach Chot Reyes is feeling the weight of expectations as early as now.

“I guess it couldn’t be avoided at this point, and I hope this is the last time you ask me about it. But I acknowledge that fact now. There’s going to be tremendous pressure on us; there’s going to be a huge target on our backs. Eleven other teams are going to do their darn best to stop us,” said Reyes after the celebration at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“As you can see, we don’t really have the best talent, we don’t have the deepest bench, but there’s something in our players: they just refuse to quit. That’s what’s we’re going to bring into the next conference.”

TNT Tropang Giga mentor Chot Reyes now has 11 PBA titles under his belt after getting the better of counterpart Tim Cone and the Brgy. Ginebra Gin Kings in Game 7 of the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup Finals. | Photo (c) RM Chua/One Sports

The upcoming Philippine Cup, though, is only going to be a tougher job for the newly minted champions.

There will be no Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who won his third title in the league and the same number of Best Import Awards.

[RELATED STORY: PBA: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson plays through pain in TNT’s conquest of Ginebra]

TNT star Jayson Castro would not see action owing to a knee injury he sustained in the recently concluded conference’s semifinals.

But with a Grand Slam within reach, expect the Tropang Giga to go all-out with or without their star players.

What this recent conquest just proved, anyway, was that the local crew — led by eventual Finals Most Valuable Player Rey Nambatac, Calvin Oftana and RR Pogoy — would be just fine without them.

[RELATED STORY: Finals MVP Rey Nambatac honors mentor Castro: 'It was all about Kuya Jayson']

“I’ve learned all through my life that if you work hard, you put yourself in a good chance that good things will happen. It’s not a guarantee, but at least, you put yourself in a good position. That’s what we’ve done,” said Reyes.

“With this victory, we’ve put ourselves in that position. You can bet that we’re going to come out and work even harder and try our best, not necessarily to capture the Grand Slam, but because there’s another tournament, another competition in front of us. That’s what we’re going to train for.”