MANILA, Philippines – TNT head coach Chot Reyes reached his breaking point.
Reyes took exception to Poy Erram’s behavior as they figured in a heated exchange in the third quarter of the Tropang Giga’s 73-66 loss to Barangay Ginebra in Game 5 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup finals on Sunday, March 23.
The incident happened during a timeout with 7:28 minutes left to play in the period when Erram threw his towel to the floor, apparently displeased with what Reyes had said.
A shouting match between the two ensued, prompting Reyes to walk away from the huddle.
“I just got fed up with all the antics. I let him have a piece of my mind. If I can’t reprimand him, then he should just be the coach,” Reyes said in a mix of Filipino and English.
Reyes eventually returned to the huddle, with TNT import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson serving as pacifier before play resumed.
The Tropang Giga still held a 47-43 lead at that point, but the Gin Kings slowly but surely fought their way back after trailing by as many as 10 points and seized the upper hand at the end of the quarter, 57-56.
Justin Brownlee and Scottie Thompson then took turns in the endgame as Ginebra closed the game on an 8-0 run, keeping TNT scoreless in the final 4:25 minutes.
The game marked the Tropang Giga’s lowest scoring output of the conference, eclipsing the 70 points they recorded in Game 2, which they also lost.
“We have no business winning if we can’t score. If we can’t score more than 75 points, we have no business winning,” said Reyes.
Reyes and TNT go back to the drawing board as they try to drag the Gin Kings to a sudden death with a win in Game 6 on Wednesday, March 26, at the Araneta Coliseum.
“You just need to regroup. It’s not over,” said Reyes. – Rappler.com