What's more, they are just four wins away not only from another title, but from being only the third team in the history of the Philippine Basketball Association to clinch the coveted and elusive Grand Slam (San Miguel and Alaska being the others).
There are a lot of factors to consider in TNT's romp, and while they did change imports in the home stretch of the conference (despite a first place record mind you), credit has to go to the locals who are probably playing the best brand of team basketball you can ever dream of. From offense to defense, TNT plays fast and hard on both ends at all time-- a luxury they enjoy thanks to a solid nine to ten man rotation.
While Ginebra and maybe Petron (even after the lopsided Air21 trade) are considered to have the biggest names on paper, TNT has all the tools to stay competitive for the next two to three years barring any injuries or trades.
Jimmy Alapag is still the best point guard in the land no matter how much people try to hype L.A. Tenorio's brilliance (Tenorio is the better floor general, Alapag just the transcendent talent. Think Magsanoc as Tenorio VS Abarrientos as Alapag). Jason Castro has found his niche in the pros not as a high speed point guard but as a scorer (which plays to his strengths since he's not a very good assist man) and Ryan Reyes is, pound for pound, the best defensive 1-2 guard in the PBA (now that Wyne Arboleda is on the decline).
Then you have Ranidel de Ocampo who is arguably the best scoring big man in the league whenever he feels up to the task (maybe a slower, less athletic version of Jun Limpot). I dare you to name a better scorer than de Ocampo who stands 6"7 and you'd probably try to throw Jay Washington's name out there, but his post-up skills are not nearly as polished as RDO's (when RDO feels like posting up anyway).
Complement that with the sharpshooting, high basketball IQ of Larry Fonacier, workhorse-like defense of Aaron Aban (who can also shoot), the combined muscle and grit of Ali Peek and Harvey Carey plus the all-around hustle and athleticism of Kelly Williams and you have yourself a solid rotation that is pretty hard to beat.
Oh, and there's also that small yet huge factor of having a high quality import who can get buckets and help the team.
The style of coaching for Chot Reyes hasn't changed at all in my mind. It brings back memories of when Reyes led Coca Cola (led by Abarrientos, Jeffrey Cariaso and Rudy Hatfield) to the Finals in the early 2000s. That team was a joy to watch (plus, they played Alaska in the Finals--would've been sweeter had Rob Duat not broken Abarrientos' face early in that series).
Can TNT win it all?
YES.
And I'm not even a big TNT fan but there's just no denying that this is indeed their year. Their time.
If this team doesn't win the Governor's Cup, it will still go down as the best group of talented, complementing players ever assembled.
Your thoughts?
