For TNT, the semifinals are starting to feel familiar. The Tropang 5G are back in the Final Four for yet another conference, once again carrying championship expectations and once again staring at Meralco on the other side of the bracket.
But while TNT enters the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals as the defending champion and slight favorite, the feeling around the matchup is far from comfortable.
Not after the way Meralco has evolved into one of the league’s most complete and disciplined teams.
Not after the Bolts handed TNT one of its most convincing losses of the eliminations.
And definitely not after the way Meralco survived its own playoff war just to get here.
“Obviously, they are deserving to make the finals and they are hard to beat in a seven-game series,” acknowledged Meralco coach Luigi Trillo. “But with the way we are playing we deserve to be there, too.”
That confidence did not come out of nowhere.
Meralco had to grind through a tense quarterfinal series against Magnolia, eventually escaping with a 105-102 overtime win in the knockout game to punch its ticket back to the semifinals.
The Bolts leaned on composure, physicality, and timely execution — the same formula they hope can finally crack TNT in a long playoff series.
Across the floor stands a TNT squad that also had to survive adversity.
The Tropang 5G dropped their first quarterfinal meeting against NLEX before regrouping behind Bol Manute Bol and their veteran core to complete the comeback and keep their title defense alive.
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Now, the challenge becomes even steeper.
TNT coach Chot Reyes admitted this version of Meralco looks far tougher than the team they disposed of in five games during the Philippine Cup semifinals last conference.
“That’s a complete team. They’re playing at a very high level. If you remember in our elimination round game tinambakan kami ng Meralco, right?” Reyes said.
Back in April, Meralco stunned TNT with a 110-106 victory after leading by as many as 20 points — a game that exposed just how dangerous the Bolts can be when they dictate the pace and physicality.
For Reyes, that game remains an important reminder entering the series.
“They have so many offensive weapons that it’s incumbent upon us to, number one, defend well and rebound. They’re also one of the more physical teams in the league and you see how teams are playing Bol,” he added.
“So, we have to be able to cope with that and play through that.”
That may ultimately decide the series.
Because while Bol continues to draw attention as TNT’s towering centerpiece, Meralco’s ability to crowd him, pressure the locals, and turn games into physical battles could once again test the composure of the defending champions.
And this time, the Bolts are no longer simply hoping to compete with TNT. They fully believe they belong beside them.
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