PBA: TNT responds to Chot Reyes' no timeout challenge with crucial mid-Q3 run, Q4 stymieing to take Game 2

Coach Chot Reyes issued a challenge to TNT by not calling a timeout amid a 16-2 Ginebra run, and his players responded pretty well. PBA Images

By Ivan Saldajeno

QUEZON CITY--Down 41-49 at halftime, Ginebra entered the third quarter with renewed fire, surprising TNT with a 16-2 run to take a 57-51 lead at the early stages of the said period.

Curiously enough, Tropang Giga head coach Chot Reyes did not bother calling a timeout even if his players were asking for it.

"I always tell my players, 'If you dig a hole for yourselves, make sure you know how to dig yourselves out of that hole,' so I said, 'You put yourselves in that hole. Figure it out. Solve the problem. So when they were telling me if they were going to call a timeout, I said, 'No! Go, play on!'" Reyes explained his decision.

TNT eventually found its way out of the hole, responding with a 10-0 run to retake the lead, 61-57, midway into the third, and ironically, Ginebra coach Tim Cone was prompted to call a timeout.

"They did play on, and we went on a counter run to go back up by [two], and they ended up calling that timeout," Reyes further said.

Interestingly enough, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was reminded of legendary NBA coach Phil Jackson when Reyes decided to save his timeout early in the third.

"I was just watching a Kobe [Bryant] interview. It's like one of his last interviews, and he was talking about how Phil Jackson sits back and allows his players to figure it out. That's why I laughed when we got in the huddle after they called a timeout," Hollis-Jefferson said.

Despite the funny moment, Hollis-Jefferson understands Reyes' final say.

"In those moments, they show our character and beliefs, and he's big on that. He instilled it in the guys, and you see it. So we appreciate him and all that he brings to the table," Hollis-Jefferson further said.

The Gin Kings still kept the game close at the end of the third quarter, but the Tropang Giga went on a 24-13 fourth to seal the PBA Governors' Cup Finals Game 2 win at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday night.

"Our attention really is on our defense, so that was our focus," Reyes said as TNT held Ginebra to less than 90 points on another dismal three-point shooting for the second straight time.

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