TNT Tropang 5G’s Roger Pogoy during the 2025 PBA Philippine Cup semifinals against Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
SCHEDULE: 2025 PBA Philippine Cup semifinals
MANILA, Philippines—Roger Pogoy was in no rush to show what he could do for TNT in its Game 1 win over Rain or Shine in the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals.
Instead of being aggressive in picking his spots, Pogoy made sure to take his time in getting into rhythm, pushing the Tropang 5G past Rain or Shine, 98-91, at Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday.
“I just didn’t rush it. I took it slow and it was such a big help,” said Pogoy.
READ: PBA: TNT beats Rain or Shine in semis opener
“My coaches always tell me to take it slow because I get a lot of turnovers before so that was surely a big factor.”
Pogoy was instrumental in TNT’s drawing of first blood with a game-high 28 points built on an efficient 44.8 percent field goal shooting clip.
Past is past
TNT coach Chot Reyes during the 2025 PBA Philippine Cup semifinals against Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
Coach Chot Reyes, meanwhile, chose to quickly move past the series opening win and all their previous encounters with Rain or Shine.
After all, trouncing the Elasto Painters twice in the last PBA two conferences’ best-of-seven semifinals series is a thing of the past.
“We don’t think about the past. The past series is already history so that’s the farthest from our mind. We wanted to make sure that we keep our focus, only for this game,” said Reyes.
“We’re only concerned with the present. Right now, our only concern is our next game, which is on Friday,” the top coach added.
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TNT looks to bank on Pogoy again for a 2-0 lead on Friday when they embark on Game 2 at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
