‘Parks, Pogoy’s 40-point performance just a bonus,’ says Ravena

TNT is off to a good start in the bubble.

Aside from winning their first two games in the PBA Philippine Cup restart, the Tropang Giga stars Roger Pogoy and Bobby Parks Jr posted their best career scoring performance in back-to-back games.

After their second bubble game win, TNT coach Bong Ravena applauded Parks for stepping up his offense as Pogoy struggled against Terrafirma, but also insisted that the 40-point performance is just a “bonus” for the team.

“Basta kailangan talaga mag-fill ng contribution eh,” Ravena said. “Kapag off ‘yung isa, kailangan may nagse-step up. Kailangan namin ‘yan while the games are maaga pa. We’re just happy we won the game.”

“Ineexpect lang namin sa kanila (Parks and Pogoy) is to come out strong. Kailangan ma-rebuild namin ‘yung character ng team. Bonus na lang sa amin ‘yung naka-40 points sila. Hopefully masustain nila ‘yung scoring.”

(Someone should fill in our scoring. Other players should step up if someone’s having an off night. We’re just happy that we won the game. We expect them to come out strong, so we can rebuild the team’s character. The 40-point performance is a bonus for us. Hopefully they can sustain their scoring.)

Pogoy exploded with 45 points last Sunday, October 11, against Alaska, while Parks, who missed the opening game due to injury, grabbed 11 rebounds along with his career scoring performance against the gritty Terrafirma Dyip.

But despite the stellar individual performances of the two key players, Ravena kept his priorities straight: pile up victories and keep his players healthy.

“We’re just happy we started well, started strong, and finished the game,” Ravena said. “Ang importante sa amin is makaipon kami ng panalo as much as possible early on.”

“Some of the guys played long minutes. Hopefully maka-recover lang sila. [Focus] lang kami sa recovery nila after the game. We take care of their bodies. Lahat ng kailangang gawin, pino-provide namin,” he said.

(We’re just happy we started well, started strong, and finished the game. We know that it’s important to win as much as possible early in the tournament. Some of the guys played long minutes. Hopefully, they can recover. We’ll focus on their recovery after the game. We take care of their bodies. We provide everything that they need.)

TNT has a tough assignment ahead of them as the Tropang Giga face defending champions San Miguel Beermen on Friday, October 16.

And for Ravena, recovery is key to win against the Beermen, who are still hungry for a victory after losing against Rain or Shine in their bubble debut.

“Kailangan talaga naming maka-recover after this game because we all know our next game is San Miguel, whom we respect so much. Hindi naman magpapatalo ng ganoon iyon,” he said.

“Kailangan naming ma-maximize ‘yung day off namin and let their bodies get some rest, lahat ng rehab, lahat ng vitamins kailangan so that we’ll be ready to play San Miguel.”

(We need to recover after this game because we all know our next game is San Miguel, whom we respect so much. They won’t give up easily. We need to maximize our day off and let their bodies get some rest, rehab, vitamins, and everything we need so that we’ll be ready to play San Miguel.) – Rappler.com