By REYNALD MAGALLON
It’s a battle of which team has the stronger signal to boost their respective campaigns as corporate and industry rivals Converge and TNT lock horns in the Group A action in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Tuesday, July 28.
Tip-off of the clash is at 7:30 p.m. with the FiberXers aiming to get back on the winning track and Tropang 5G desperate to find their groove after a roller-coaster start in their title-retention bid.
Setting the table to the duel is the collision between Group B surprise leaders Phoenix and Blackwater in the first offering at 5:15 p.m.
Converge actually had a great start to the conference, winning their first three games before dropping a 128-122 loss to San Miguel. As good as its 3-1 record so far, the weakest link for the FiberXers is import Jalen Hudson, who only averaged 12.25 points, 6.75 rebounds and 3.25 assists.
With that, the FiberXers have decided to bring back former import Jamal Franklin for their game against the Tropang 5G.
In his last stint in the PBA, Franklin averaged 34.0 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 7.6 assists to steer Converge to a 6-5 record in the same conference two seasons ago.
The frontline of Justin Arana and Justine Baltazar are expected to once again lead the way alongside Juan Gomez de Liano, Alec Stockton and Mikey Williams.
TNT, on the other hand, is dealing with more than just its import woes but also the absence of the team’s key players. Import Darius Days have been playing subpar for the Tropang 5G while missing players like Calvin Oftana, Jayson Castro, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser and Kelly Williams.
After opening the conference with a close 106-103 win over Macau, TNT has suffered back-to-back losses to Titan Ultra, 103-87, and then Terrafirma, 101-96.
Of course, the defending champions are hoping to avoid falling into a third-straight defeat but it will need more from days as well as local stars Jordan Heading, Rey Nambatac and RR Pogoy.
