With momentum on their side, the Talk N Text Tropang Giga will now move on and focus on things that they can do even better in Game 2 of their best-of-seven finals’ series with the Magnolia Hotshots in the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup.
Tropang Giga coach Chot Reyes said this as he took note that the Hotshots had a bad start in Game 1 and played in one of their worst performances for the entire tournament.
Reyes believes that the Hotshots will quickly try to get over this setback, which led to the Tropang Giga’s lopsided 88-70 triumph on Wednesday at the DHVSU Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga.
“Because it’s in the books (Game 1), we shouldn’t worry about that anymore, we’ll just think about Game 2 now,” said Reyes as the Tropang Giga brace for a possible comeback of the Hotshots in their 6 p.m. game today.
Misfortune and injuries hounded the Hotshots in Game 1, where key player Ian Sangalang played limited minutes due to back spasms.
Sangalang, one the Hotshots’ key big men, sat out in the second half as his absence tolled heavily on the team.
Playing for just 10 minutes and 38 seconds, the usually productive Sangalang scored only five points and hauled a rebound. In the second half, he watched helplessly as the Tropang Giga won by an 18-point margin.
Reyes said that despite the woes that Magnolia experienced in the opener, the Tropang Giga haven’t achieved anything yet for them to say that they already have a big advantage over the Hotshots.
“All we’ve done is get the first game. We now have to focus our energy preparing for Game 2,” added Reyes.
The Hotshots are expected to find ways to cope with their situation with Sangalang, and Reyes knows that anything can happen to them in Game 2.
“Tomorrow is another day. We will get better tomorrow. We will move forward together,” said Hotshots’ coach Chito Victolero.
