COACH Chot Reyes has no need any more for Bol Bol, the sky-high import of TNT Tropang 5G.
That became obvious after TNT’s spine-tingling 77-75 victory over sister-team Meralco on Sunday, May 24, 2026, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The win came with Bol Bol seated at the gallery, cheering his team of weeks nursing an injured ankle he suffered in the Game 2 loss of TNT that evened the dash-to-four series at 1-1 between the 5G and the Bolts.
It was a conference-ending injury for Bol Bol, who, at 7-foot-4, is the tallest — and most dominant — import in the ongoing PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
With Bol Bol’s departure, gone is the import’s 35-point average per game, which definitely inflicted a terrible blow to TNT’s title dreams.
But all is not lost, though, for the Tropang 5G if Sunday’s game is taken into account.
With a choking defense and a precise execution of offensive thrusts — plus a bit of luck — TNT was able to survive tremendous odds and deal Meralco the upset axe.
It came via an escape act in the dying seconds of the game through the combined efforts of brawler Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, aka BGR, and dead shot RR Pogoy.
With Meralco ahead, 72-69, BGR completed a three-point play through a barrelling drive, then hit a short jumper for his 5-0 barrage that gave TNT a 74-72 lead with 1:37 left.
But Meralco refused to budge as Chris Newsome answered with a booming triple from center for the Bolts’ 75-74 lead with 28.2 ticks left.
Reyes called for a quick time out, after which Pogoy, defying the outstretched arms of the much-taller Cliff Hodge, nailed a three from left quarter court, giving TNT a 77-75 lead with 7.4 seconds remaining.
From a Meralco timeout, Crispin John Cancino sped to cut the right lane, but he completely missed the layup.
Still, Meralco had a chance to equalize after Bong Guinto grabbed the rebound. But Guinto gruesomely flubbed the follow-up despite an unmolested shot, allowing TNT to grab a 2-1 semifinal series lead in the mid-season conference.
BGR, who also made life miserable for Meralco’s import Marvin Johnson with his physicality, emerged the best player of the game despite his puny 8-point effort to go with 8 rebounds.
Bol Bol was seen lustily applauding BGR after the game.
