TO neutralize San Miguel Beer behemoth June Mar Fajardo is tough enough, now the TNT Tropang 5G face a more daunting task of possibly doing it minus Poy Erram.
The 6-foot-8 TNT center, limping home with a badly swollen right ankle Wednesday night, is a game-time decision for coach Chot Reyes in Game 3 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
But fighting adversity all throughout the tourney, the Tropa are raring to fight on, drawing some comfort from whatever they've achieved shouting out loud their "next-man-up" mantra.
That's been the theme for the Tropa in the tourney as they've lived on minus ace guards Jayson Castro and Rey Nambatac and even with Kelly Williams and Roger Pogoy joining them in confinement in some stretches in the semis.
"Whoever is next in line, they're just going to have to do their job. Hopefully Poy can bounce back, but if not we will be ready," said center/forward Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser.
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"June Mar is a different animal. Just making it as difficult as we can. This series is even right now so we just have to make adjustments," he added.
Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. with the teams breaking 1-1 deadlock after TNT took the series opener at 99-96 then San Miguel striking back, 98-92, in the next.
Game 2 was about the Beermen responding big time from a disappointment.
"Talagang hindi kami pinatulog nung Sunday. Pero wala naman kaming magagawa but to bounce back (in Game 2). Makikita naman sa body language ng players na they wanted to win," said San Miguel coach Leo Austria.
For Game 3, Austria wants his chargers to keep that fire, heart and instinct as they try to seize the 2-1 lead.
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The Beermen were a team on a mission Wednesday, laser-focused and showing great composure even as the Tropa threatened early in the fourth.
A big key was San Miguel clobbering TNT inside the paint.
The question for the Tropa in Game 3 is their adjustments in possibly playing sans Erram, their No. 1 rim protector.(SB)
