A controversial end to a classic game has set up an interesting series as the TNT Tropang 5G took Game 1 in the 2025 PBA Philippine Cup Finals with a narrow 99-96 win over the San Miguel Beermen.
TNT's shooting accuracy outshined San Miguel's inside dominance and a debatable call was ultimately the difference in the game.
The ending will be the biggest takeaway, as Mo Tautuaa's late basket was nullified. His attempt had put San Miguel up by a point, but was ultimately overturned and called basket interference. The ensuing dead ball put TNT up by 1 followed by a jump ball.
TNT's shooting
With the amount of shooting available on their roster, TNT tapped into this clear advantage against San Miguel. The spacing on the floor challenged San Miguel's defense -- with June Mar Fajardo's ability to guard in the perimeter a particular vulnerability. TNT capitalized on this strategy to build a sizable lead after the first half.
They shot 9-of-17 from 3-point range and was also able to knock down three 4-pointers as well. TNT had a whopping 45-5 advantage from perimeter points after just two quarters and would finish with 17 triples on 39.5% shooting.
At the forefront of TNT's attack was Jordan Heading, who was utilized as a floor spacing and movement shooter two-guard and initiated actions as a ball handler. Heading finished with 19 points and six assists on 83 TS%. He got optimal spots from the beyond arc and exploited the inability of San Miguel's bigs to vary their pick-and-roll coverage.
Yet the one who finished the job for TNT was the returning RR Pogoy, who made most out of his limited playing time. In only 18 minutes of action, he mustered up 23 points on an excellent 96.8 TS%. Not only did he give the team timely buckets whenever they needed it, his patented mismatch hunting created advantages for TNT on the offensive end to get wide open or better looks.
Hope for San Miguel
San Miguel did not go away without a fight. A 19-0 run during the fourth quarter turned an 18-point deficit to a one-point lead at 93-92 with 2:11 left in the game. It was the aggressiveness of San Miguel to attack the basket, and of course, the brilliance of June Mar Fajardo. The eight-time MVP produced a monster double-double performance of 26 points and 15 rebounds on 64.7% field goal percentage.
CJ Perez paced him with 19 points, powered by his late drives to put some rim pressure for San Miguel, which opened up their offense in the second half.
Even with this Game 1 win, there's still much to clean up for TNT. Costly turnovers almost led them to squander a 24-point lead. Their 15 turnovers, compared to San Miguel's eight, helped ignite the Beermen's comeback, as the latter had a 22-9 advantage in points off turnovers. Another player that struggled overall was Calvin Oftana, who had just 13 points on an inefficient 40.9 TS%.
For San Miguel, a bright spot they can turn to once again is Chris Ross, who provided valuable minutes in the second half. Ross' impact went beyond his numbers of seven points, five rebounds, four assists, and team-high plus-14 rating in 24.4 minutes. Look for head coach Leo Austria to get him even more involved in the coming games, as he can be the one that can neutralize Heading and be a connector in finding Fajardo down low.