Hobbling and all, Josh Smith stepped up and got TNT KaTropa past reigning Philippine Cup three-peat champ San Miguel Beer, 104-102, at the start of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Wednesday night.
The wide-bodied TNT import continued to play through pain, delivering 21 points, including the game-winner that gave the Texters the crucial head-start in the best-of-seven championship series.
Smith nailed a semi-hook off June Mar Fajardo shortly before the buzzer, and the Texters survived the condition of their hurting import plus the absence of Ryan Reyes and Ranidel de Ocampo on their own health woes.
The TNT reinforcement’s status remains a game-day decision in Game Two at 7 p.m. Friday also at the Big Dome.
TNT coach Nash Racela said Smith’s presence of mind saved the night for them.
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“I screwed up in the last play. San Miguel did a good job denying Jayson (Castro) the ball. It’s really good Josh had that presence of mind to get the ball and attack June Mar. He had no choice but to create and he did,” said Racela.
“It’s always crucial to get the first win. Doing it without Ryan and Ranidel and with Josh not 100 percent, that’s something that’s very important. It means the other guys delivered well tonight,” Racela also said.
Castro and RR Pogoy also had big games as they engaged the Beermen in a duel of spurts that went down the wire at the finish.
Pogoy fired 5-of-9 three-pointers and a career-best total of 27 points while Castro came up with a near triple-double performance with 14 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.
After Smith broke the 102-all count, the Beermen found no more opportunity to tie or salvage the game.
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“For me, Game One is very important. We wanted this, but the breaks didn’t go our way.
We worked hard but came up short,” said SMB coach Leo Austria.
“We have less than 24 hours to realize what’s going on, but definitely we’ll make the adjustments,” Austria added.
The Texters cranked up on offense in the second period, hitting at a 52-percent clip to race ahead, 56-51, at the half.
From a nine-point deficit late in the first period, the Texters posted a couple of eight-point margins in the second period before settling for a five-point halftime lead.
Alex Cabagnot came through with a three-point play of Kris Rosales with two seconds to go as the Beermen made the game closer going into the final half.
Charles Rhodes pumped in back-to-back treys then finished an attack on a thunderous jam as SMB posted an early nine-point lead at 31-22.
But then Smith had his own binge to spark the TNT turnaround in the second quarter.
Rhodes had collected 21 points and six rebounds while Smith had had 14 markers and three boards by the half. (SB)
