By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The TNT Tropang Giga lived another day after nipping the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in Game 6, 87-83, of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup finals on March 26, 2025, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
With the gutsy win, the Tropang Giga forced a do-or-die Game 7 for all the marbles and are looking to continue their winning ways against the Gin Kings in the championship series of the import-laced conference.
Many heroes stepped up anew for the Tropang Giga but it was their controversial frontcourt anchor Poy Erram who delivered when TNT needed him the most.
Erram faced a barrage of negative comments after engaging in a shouting exchange with his head coach, Chot Reyes, during a timeout in their disappointing Game 5 loss.
To make things up, Erram shone in the bright lights amid a noisy Ginebra crowd to cap off the win with 14 points, six rebounds, a block, and a steal.
Erram became the catalyst for TNT when the Gin Kings made a huge run in the fourth, dropping 10 out of his 14 total markers in the final canto alone.
The defensive lynchpin’s offense got TNT going midway through the fourth and answered every crucial basket that Scottie Thompson and Justin Brownlee converted, helping the Tropang Giga protect their narrow advantage.
Perhaps his biggest play of the ball game was the offensive rebound tap in the remaining 10 seconds of the fourth. After Rondae Hollis-Jefferson missed all of his shots from the charity stripe, Erram timed his back tap to a TNT player that saved them another possession.
Ginebra had no choice but to foul, and that put Hollis-Jefferson back at the free-throw line. The proven and tested reinforcement made sure no high-tension drama would fill the stands as he calmly netted all shots that pushed TNT’s lead back to four points.
With 6.2 seconds remaining, the TNT coaching staff stuck to their game plan of fouling early to prevent Ginebra from attempting a three-point miracle heave.
That gamble tactic paid off dividends as Ginebra’s Maverick Ahanmisi missed his first attempt from the free throw line, followed by an intentional miss in the second throw in an attempt for an offensive rebound.
The Gin Kings got what they wanted as Japeth Aguilar was able to collect the offensive board but even if Thompson drained his trey, the Tropang Giga would still run away with a one-point dub.
Hollis-Jefferson was the money man for TNT after leading all scorers with 29 points, backstopped by Rey Nambatac who sizzled for 23 markers.
Both storied franchises will meet again in the PBA hardwood today, to vie for the coveted Commissioner’s Cup championship trophy.