Glen Rice Jr’s Basketball Journey: The Ugly Past and the Unclear Future

Glen Rice last photo as he exits the Araneta Coliseum in his final game. ( Scored 2 points)

At 26 years old, Glen Rice Jr is still young and could still accomplish a lot in the game of basketball. 

Three months ago, when TNT tapped the service of the son of the legendary NBA player Glen Rice, the Talk n Text management had great expectations as he is well known for his athleticism and scoring prowess. Glen Rice Jr. was expected to bring the KaTropa to new heights in the last conference of the 2017 PBA Season.

Before joining PBA in the Philippines, Glen Rice played for the Washington Wizards in the NBA but that stint did not last long as he was not given enough opportunity and only averaged 2.7 points and with less than 10 minutes of playing time. While he had some moments, it wasn’t enough for the Wizards to keep him as a regular part of the roster.

Glen Rice had his best years playing in the NBA D League in 2013 to 2014 season as he averaged as high as 17 points per game. Surely, he’s got some talent but what’s stopping Glen Rice Jr from accomplishing his dreams?

Wikipedia’s description of Glen Rice Jr.

Rice is the son of Glen Rice Sr. and Tracey Starwood. Glen Rice Sr. was the all-time leading scorer for Michigan who led the 1988–89 Wolverines to the National Championship, played 15 seasons in the NBA, and was a member of the 1999–2000 Los Angeles Lakers championship team. Rice has a younger brother name G’mitri. On October 25, 2015, Rice was shot in the leg at an Atlanta restaurant and was later charged with reckless conduct and possession of 240.4 grams (0.53 lb) marijuana. In December 2015, he appeared in season 8 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. On July 28, 2016, Rice was arrested for battery

July he was arrested for battery. In August, he was on his way to the Philippines.

Glen Rice Jr has been given another chance, not by the NBA but the Philippine Basketball Association, the premier basketball league in the Philippines. This opportunity could be really big for the young Rice as most of the imports in the Philippines are given the opportunity to be leaders and be the primary options of the team. An automatic stardom in the Philippines, as imports are usually revered and advertised as the main man for each team.

Glen Rice did not disappoint as he showcased his talents and was able to bring his team to the second place in the elimination round and the semi-finals. He was also responsible for a few game winning shots and more often the highest scorer of the team. He can easily score 30 points at any given night.

Yes, winning a championship could have been the perfect ending but a semi-finals appearance and a second place finish is not as bad and will still look good on Glen Rice Jr.’s resume, especially as he was one of the main reasons why TNT is a good team in the conference.

Rice Spoiled his Philippine Adventure

Unfortunately, as much as we like Rice in the Philippines, he ended his stint in the PBA by spoiling all of his efforts and by acting very unprofessional in his last game, which was also the most critical of all the games he played in the Philippines. Leading the first quarter by a large number, his team was on its way to a potential grudge match but an unfortunate incident changed it all when Glen Rice Jr. lost his composure and threw the ball against his defender. Glen Rice was so furious at that instant and could not be stopped as he tried to engage the other teams into a potential altercation.

Related: Kevin Ferrer vs Glen Rice Jr First Physical Altercation

Glen Rice Jr was effectively thrown out of the game and what will be his last game in the PBA and maybe in the Philippines.  Throwing the ball against your defender would merit an automatic ejection according to the rulebook of the PBA.  Glen Rice was fined 26,000 pesos by the league and was also fined 10,000 US dollars by his own team for unsportsmanlike and unprofessional conduct that not only affected the outcome of the game but also the image of PLDT Group of companies, the mother company of Talk and Text.

From Top to the Bottom, Glen Rice flies back to the US

His father who recently visited the Philippines this same year left us with good memories but the son who carried his name may have left with a different story.

Glen Rice Jr., we wish you the best of luck on your next basketball journey and we hope you can get your act together soon.

Our last video of Glen Rice Jr.

By the Numbers: 3 Disparities that Favored Ginebra in Game 3

Whether the Gin Kings will admit it or not, they had help. Lots of it.

Glen Rice Jr. torched the Ginebra with 44 points but couldn’t deliver in the end. (Photo by the PBA Media Bureau)

If you allow a player like Glen Rice Jr. to score 44 points and grab 22 rebounds including 9 offensive rebounds, then your defense is not working to perfection. It means that the player can find other ways to score. That was the case in last night’s Game 3 when Rice Jr. started to torch the defending champions, Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings right from the tip-off as he scored 14 points in the first quarter alone. 

Despite this monstrous performance, the Gin Kings came out victorious as they beat the Talk N Text KaTropa, 106-103, which moved Ginebra one win away from returning to the Finals, should they win tomorrow’s Game 4.

In a game that was mired by numerous shoving matches between players of both teams which resulted in a number of technical fouls being called mostly against the KaTropa, in a game where the result wasn’t decided until the final buzzer when Glen Rice Jr. missed a 3-point shot that would have forced an overtime period, let’s put aside the emotions, the heat and take a look at the disparities that when you look at them, you’ll realize that these numbers had played important roles that propelled the Gin Kings to a 2-1 series lead:

31 First Quarter Points

In the 3 games of the series, the team who scored 31 points in the first quarter alone went on to win the game. Nothing beats having a high-scoring first quarter because it helps the team set the tone of the game early on. In the two games that Ginebra won so far, they reached 31 points in the first quarter which enabled them to build an early momentum. While Game 3 was not decided until the final buzzer, the 31 points of Ginebra in the first quarter enabled the crowd darlings to establish their offense.

28 Points from the Bench

Sure, TNT got 44 points from their import, Glen Rice Jr. but got little reinforcement especially from their bench players who only produced 15 points. The Ginebra bench troopers, on the other hand, were able to contribute more especially on the offensive end as they combined for 28 points. Greg Slaughter continued his stellar play with 19 points, including 9 of 12 free throw shooting, and 6 rebounds. This is a luxury Tim Cone enjoys because having a reliable set of bench players allows him to rest his starters, namely their import, Justin Brownlee who logged 44 minutes last night and scored 17 points. 

27 Free Throws in the First Half

Okay. This is one disparity that said to have triggered a halftime backlash between Alfrancis Chua and Nash Racela as both squads were walking into their respective locker rooms. Both gentlemen nearly got to blows but were separated by team officials and their respective players. Even PBA Commissioner Chito Narvasa had to get in their way to make sure that no blood will be dropped. Imagine this: the Gin Kings were awarded 43 free throws, 27 of those in the first half alone. 

Just how big the disparity was in the free throws? 27-8. In the first half. Alone. While Tim Cone apparently didn’t say a thing when TNT was awarded 35 free throws back in Game 2, Cone was quick to explain that Ginebra was simply the more aggressive team which enabled them to fish more fouls from TNT defenders. As they say, what’s a Ginebra win without a little drama on the side, right?

The defending champions can seal a rematch with the Meralco Bolts in the Finals with a win tomorrow. In terms of firepower and talent, we all know that both teams are loaded with both firepower and talent. It’s never a question of who can produce more points. It’s more about who has the heart to win it all despite all the odds. One thing is for sure: We can all expect a more chaotic Game 4 tomorrow. 

Monstrous Performance from Glen Rice Jr with 44 and 20 but Missed Most Important Shot as Ginebra Escapes with the Victory

Gin Kings Use Balance Attack to Inch Closer to Finals

Scottie Thompson had 17 points and 12 rebounds in the win. (Photo by the PBA Media Bureau)

Just when the Ginebra faithfuls who were watching in Batangas and those who were watching on their respective TVs thought that the Gin Kings would finally take a commanding 2-0 series lead back in Game 2 of their best-of-5 semifinal series, the Talk N Text KaTropa went back to business and disappoint the crowd darlings as the KaTropa won Game 2 to tie the series at 1 game apiece. 

Now, both the defending champions, the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings and the KaTropa will slug it out anew to decide to will move within 1 win away from a slot in the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals to dance against the already waiting Meralco Bolts.

“GI-NE-BRA! GI-NE-BRA!” These were the words that were coming from the mouth of those who were in attendance as they witnessed the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings moved within one win away from returning to the Governors’ Cup Finals after battling it out all game long to come out victorious, 106-103 against the Talk N Text KaTropa.

Wanting to make up for their sloppy start that eventually cost them Game 2, the Gin Kings went back to basics as they immediately two blocked shots and take a 13-5 lead in the first 3 minutes of the game. Coming off a timeout, Glen Rice Jr. scored the KaTropa’s next 7 points which were highlighted by 2 dunks and a 3-point shot to make 13-12 and force Tim Cone to use a timeout. Throughout the remainder of the quarter, TNT held a 3-point lead during most of the time until the KaTropa, again, started to clank away all of their shot attempts as  Sol Mercado ended the first quarter with a lay-up to make it, 31-26 in favor of the Gin Kings. Glen Rice Jr. already had 14 points in the first quarter alone.

TNT began the second quarter with Jayson Castro and Glen Rice Jr. scored the first 4 points of the KaTropa as Ginebra struggled to get anything going on their offense during 3 minutes into the quarter until their inside attack started to click in as the Gin Kings were able to fish fouls from TNT defenders. 

Later in the quarter, LA Tenorio drained a 3-pointer to make it 45-37 as TNT continued to struggle with their own shots and were also mered by turnovers. After hanging onto a slim margin, a shot from rainbow country by Justin Brownlee increased Ginebra’s lead to 9, at 51-42 approaching the 2-minute mark of the 2nd quarter. Then, Scottie Thompson added a lay-up to make it 55-45 with under two minutes before the halftime break.

The Gin Kings held a 60-49 advantage at the half as LA Tenorio stood the tallest for Ginebra with his 13 points to lead all Ginebra scorers. Scottie Thompson and Greg Slaughter scored 9 points apiece. What was the difference for Ginebra in the first half? Simple: Free throws. The Gin Kings were awarded 27 free throws in the first 24 minutes of action with the Gin Kings 19 of those freebies.

Glen Rice Jr. had 27 points and 9 rebounds to lead the KaTropa but no one else on the TNT team scored in double figures in the first half as Jayson Castro only managed 6 points and that was one of the primary reasons why the KaTropa fell by double digits entering the 3rd quarter.

Again, the dynamic duo of Glen Rice Jr. and Jayson started things off for Talk N Text as they joined forces to trim Ginebra’s lead to 62-56 with under 9 minutes to play in the third, leading to a Tim Cone timeout. Talk N Text continued to score as the lead went down to as low as 2-points, 69-67.  

Ginebra went on to re-establish an 8-point advantage during the course of the third quarter as TNT was able to prevent Ginebra from breaking the game wide open as they kept themselves within striking distance thanks to their improving shooting from beyond the three-point line. Despite Glen Rice Jr. only scoring 2 points in the 3rd quarter, Talk N Text was only down, 85-80 heading into the final quarter.

When the 4th quarter began, Glen Rice Jr. drained another bomb from long distance and Jayson  Castro added another mid-range jumper to knot the score at 85 apiece with barely a minute into the quarter. After a series of missed attempts from deep by both teams, the KaTropa finally overtook Ginebra, 91-89 on a Kelly Williams basket which followed by a Ginebra timeout with 7:05 left. A few possessions after that sequence, Scottie Thompson added another trey to give his team a 94-93 lead heading into the final 5 minutes of the game.

Then, with Ginebra clinging to a slim margin, Scottie Thompson, again, outrebounded TNT rebounders and scored on a putback to make it 101-98 with 2:09 remaining in the game. Joe Devance scored on another putback to make it 103-98 and forced Nash Racela to call another timeout with 1:33 on the clock. Then, with Jayson Castro missing on a three-point attempt on the previous possession, Joe Devance came out of nowhere to score a crucial putback to make it 105-100 with  32 ticks left on the clock.

After TNT inched closer, at 106-103 on Glen Rice Jr.’s trey with under 10 seconds left, Scottie Thompson missed both charities on the other end, leaving the door open for TNT to force an extra period but Rice Jr.’s final attempt just clanked off the rim as time expired.

Joe Devance led the Gin Kings with 20 points. Greg Slaughter came off the bench to score 19 points. Justin Brownlee had 17 points and 13 rebounds. Ginebra won because of their ability to grab offensive rebounds and score 22 points off those offensive rebounds which played an essential role in the endgame.

Glen Rice Jr.’s 44 points and 20 rebounds to lead Talk N Text went straight to the trash can as the KaTropa are just one loss away from ending their season. Jayson Castro added 17 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists but also had 4 turnovers.  The game was basically equally-matched in every statistic except for one thing: points scored by bench players. The bench players of Nash Racela only managed 15 markers, a far cry to Ginebra’s bench players who combined for 28 points.

Related: Our prediction of the game, did we get it right? 

Scores:

Ginebra – 106

Devance 20, Slaughter 19, Brownlee 17, Thompson 17, Tenorio 16, J. Aguilar 8, Mercado 7, Ferrer 2, Helterbrand 0, Jamito 0, Cruz 0,, Mariano 0, Caguioa 0, R. Aguilar 0, Taha 0

TNT – 103

Rice Jr. 44, Castro 17, Semerad 10, Williams 10, Rosario 7, Pogoy 7, Golla 3, Reyes 3, Seigle 2, Carey 0, Nuyles 0, Tautuaa 0, Hernandez 0, Lngganay 0, Chua 0

Quarter  scores:

31-26, 60-49, 85-80, 106-103

By the Numbers: The 3 Ugly Truths Behind Ginebra’s Collapse in Game 2

Electrifying D Won Game 2

Because you cannot win without playing DEFENSE

Just when everyone thought that the defending champions would take a commanding 2-0 series lead in front of a favorable crowd in Batangas, the Talk N Text KaTropa immediately went to work right after the tip-off, built a double-digit lead in the early goings of the game, kept their composure intact when the Gin Kings were able to make a comeback and even momentarily took the lead and in the end, the KaTropa were able to hang onto a 103-93 Game 2 victory over the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings which knotted the series at 1-1. 

Had TNT lost the game last night, they would be in a  tight situation coming into tomorrow’s Game 3 because it would mean that they need to win 3 straight games against the same team just to get to the Finals of the PBA Governors’ Cup. Fortunately, the players of Coach Nash Racela did many things right, things that they didn’t do in the series opener that put them in a better position to challenge the champs.

Kelly Williams had 8 defensive rebounds, 2 steals and a block in Game 2. (Photo by the PBA Media Bureau)

While field goal shooting was an area where both the KaTropa and the Gin Kings were equal, shooting 44% and 46% in the field respectively, it was the defense of Talk N Text that gave them an 18-point lead and consequently, defense won them the game in the 4th quarter.

The Numbers that Won Game 2:

19 Forced (and Unforced) Turnovers

Simply put it this way, folks. If you force your opponents into making those costly turnovers especially during the playoffs, it means that your team’s defense is working to perfection. And that was what exactly happened last night. The KaTropa were pressing the Gin Kings at every turn and that pressing defense forced 19 turnovers by the Gin Kings which Talk N Text converted into 23 points. Greg Slaughter had 5 of those turnovers as he was constantly defended by two defenders every time he gets in the post. Classic defense. Still effective. And as a result of their frustrations, there were noticeable times when the Gin Kings threw bad passes. Effect: Unforced turnovers. Another effect: 20 fastbreak points for TNT.

14 Points for Ginebra in the First Quarter

If anything, having a good start in any basketball game is essential to victory and if we are to look back in Game 1, the Gin Kings scored 31 points in the first 12 minutes of the game. Last night, it was the KaTropa who scored 31 points in the first frame but unlike in the first game where they were able to score 22 points, Talk N Text, this time around, defended well early on and limited Ginebra to 14 first quarter points. 

10 Steals

Let’s face it. The Gin  Kings are a talented team with the most winningest coach in the history of the PBA in Tim Cone. But that, however, does not make them a perfect team and the KaTropa made sure that the rest of the PBA saw that as they were able to steal the ball from Ginebra ball handlers, 10 TIMES. There were 3 players who had 2 steals each in Game 2, namely Troy Rosario, Kelly Williams and, Roger Pogoy who scored 14 points off the bench. Glen Rice Jr. the league’s leader in steals per game this conference, had 1 steal.

Here is the game 2 recap TNT vs Ginebra.

Glen Rice Jr.’s 21 Points Lead TNT in Game 2

Glen Rice was outstanding but Jayson Castro also led with a double-double as TNT avoids going 0-2.

Glen Rice Jr. stepped up in the 4th quarter to lead TNT. (Photo by the PBA Media Bureau)

The defending champions have already drawn the first blood in this series. They will now have the opportunity to take full control of the series and go within a win away from a second consecutive Governors’ Cup Finals appearance and yes, they certainly have the firepower to do so. 

On the other hand, the Talk N Text KaTropa are hoping to bounce back from a disastrous Game 1 performance and equalize the series at 1 game apiece. The only question is: Can the KaTropa find a way match up against the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings and avoid being down 0-2 coming into Game 3?

They built an 18-point lead. They blew that lead and let Ginebra take the lead, temporarily. Their import, Glen Rice Jr, didn’t play an entire quarter due to foul trouble. The odds were against the TNT KaTropa and yet, they came out victorious, scoring an important 103-96 win to tie the best-of-5 series at 1-1.

As expected of them, the KaTropa opened the scoring chores of Game 2 as they held the Gin Kings scoreless for the first 2 minutes of the game until Justin Brownlee’s lay-up gave Ginebra their first two points. TNT went up as high as 10-4 on Anthony Semerad’s fastbreak lay-up which resulted to Ginebra calling for their first timeout of the game with 8:43 left in the opening quarter. 

Both teams then struggled to get anything going as Ginebra scored the next 4 points only to miss the next few sots. On the other hand, Ginebra’s defense bothered TNT players as Glen Rice Jr. hit a trey to break the KaTropa dry spell. Unable to control the rebounds early on, Ginebra fell to 19-10 after Moala Tautuaa hit a putback basket to force another timeout from Tin Cone. A dunk by Rice Jr. with 3:11 left in the quarter gave the KaTropa their first taste of a double-digit lead, at 23-12. Ginebra faced a 31-14 hole entering the second quarter as they were plagued by their 12 turnovers in the opening quarter alone.

The KaTropa held onto the double-digit lead during the early minutes of the second chapter Ginebra cut it down to 13 from the highest 18, twice. Then, Joe Devance decreased it to 12, at 36-24 after scoring on a lay-up. Then, Sol Mercado swished in a 3-pointer to cut down the lead to 9 only to be answered by Jayson Castro who hit a 3-pointer of his own to put the lead back to 12. Mercado later added another unguarded 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 6, at 39-33 with under 7 minutes to play before halftime as TNT’s offense became as messy as it was like in Game 1. 

Japeth Aguilar later soared on a monstrous dunk to the delight of the pro-Ginebra crowd and putting his team down by just 4. However, just when TNT was starting to regain control after Jayson Castro hit a trey and Glen Rice Jr. added another free throw, Glen Rice Jr. was called for his 4th personal foul with 3 minutes left in the first half.  The Gin Kings inched closer to 49-47 at the end of the first half after Justin Brownlee hit one from long distance to end the half.

Brownlee led the way for Ginebra with 17 points on 50% field goal shooting in the first half. Sol Mercado added 8 markers off the bench. Defense was again, one of the reasons why Ginebra was able to come back from an 18-point lead as they blocked 5 TNT shots in the first half and the Gin Kings were able to take advantage of the KaTropa’s mistakes as they scored 17 points off those 11 TNT turnovers.

On the other hand, nobody among the players of Nash Racela scored in double figures after the first two quarters as Glen Rice Jr. and Troy Rosario had 9 points each while Jayson Castro had 6 points- scored on 2 3-pointers. If there was one thing that enabled the KaTropa to hold onto the lead, it was their ability to run on the break as they were able to score 10 fastbreak points as compared to none by Ginebra.

Come the third quarter, the Gin Kings wasted no time as Joe Devance scored the first two points of Ginebra to tie the score at 49 all then Japeth Aguilar added another jumper to give Gin Kings the lead for the first time at 51-50. However, Ginebra has been plagued with turnover anew as Talk N Text, like they did in the first half, was able to run on the break and established a 10-point lead with under minutes to play in the quarter.TNT went on to lead the rest of the third quarter despite Glen Rice Jr. not playing due to foul trouble as the KaTropa led 76-69 heading into the 4th quarter.

The KaTropa re-established a double-digit lead during the early minutes of the final quarter as Kelly Williams scored on an alley-oop dunk to make 79-69 with under 3 minutes into the quarter, forcing Tim Cone to call an early timeout. TNT later pushed their lead to 13 off a Tautuaa basket with under 8 minutes remaining in the game. From that point on, TNT again, held onto the lead the rest of the way as Ginebra failed to sustain the same energy that they had which enabled them to battle for the lead in the 3rd quarter.With under a minute to go in the game, Sol Mercado drained two triples to bring the deficit down to 6 but it was already too late.

Glen Rice Jr. scored 21 points on an efficient 6 of 10 field goal shooting despite playing in the 4th quarter with 5 fouls. Jayson Castro had 20 points, 10 assists and 4 rebounds while Troy Rosario had 16 points. One of the keys that triggered this important win for Talk N Text was their points off turnovers as they scored 23 points off Ginebra’s 19 turnovers. The KaTropa also had 20 fastbreak points, many of those were also off the turnovers of Ginebra.

For the losing team, Justin Brownlee had 25 points and 10 rebounds while LA Tenorio had 17 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and a steal. Sol Mercado added 14 points off the bench for Ginebra who was hounded all game long by the defense of TNT which forced the Gin Kings into turnovers that took away all of the possible opportunities to mount a comeback, especially in the 4th quarter.

Scores:

TNT – 103

Rice Jr. 21, Castro 20, Rosario 16, Pogoy 14, Tautuaa 10, Williams 7, Semerad 5, Seigle 4, Reyes 2, Nuyles 1, Hernandez 1, Chua 1, Golla 0, Carey 0, Lingganay 0

Ginebra – 96

Brownlee 25, Tenorio 17, J. Aguilar 14, Mercado 14, Thompson 8, Slaughter 8, Devance 4, Cruz 4, Caguioa 2, Helterbrand 0, Ferrer 0, Jamito 0, Mariano 0, R. Aguilar 0, Taha 0

Quarter scores:

31-14, 49-47, 76-69, 103-96

2 Basic Things TNT SHOULD Avoid Against Ginebra

These things almost cost them a victory last night

TNT must avoid any kind of shooting woes against Ginebra. (Photo by the PBA Media Bureau)

If anything, last night’s game between the Talk N Text KaTropa against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters was indeed, a long one for both teams as neither was certain of the outcome until J’Nathan Bullock threw a bad pass, turning the ball over and fouling out in the dying seconds of the game. That sequence took the life out of the Elasto Painters as they came out short. 

Given how ugly the game was especially in the second half when TNT was struggling to make shots but was able to stick around within striking distance, they cannot simply afford to play exactly the same way especially when you’re up against the defending champions, Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings, in the semifinals. Sure, TNT unmercifully dismantled the Gin Kings in their final game in the elimination round but that was a long time ago. We are now in the semifinals of the Governors’ Cup. Things here are different compared to the elimination round and the quarterfinals. Here, both teams will have identical paths. The first team to win 3 games, goes on to the Finals. Simple. And not especially for TNT.

For the players of Head Coach Nash Racela, playing against the crowd darlings will be a huge challenge because Racela just took over the coaching job of the KaTropa at the start of the season while Tim Cone is no doubt, a coach whose resume is already filled with multiple championships and Grand Slams. In addition to this, TNT surprisingly traded away some of its longtime players including Larry Fornacier to the NLEX Road Warriors and Ranidel De Ocampo to the Meralco Bolt which is one reason why the chemistry in the team has been shaken off a little bit.  

To have a decent chance to at least, challenge the Gin Kings, the KaTropa must avoid the following things they did in last night’s game because if they are to them again in the semifinals, they are off to an early vacation:

Shooting Woes

Last night, Jayson Castro had 20 points but 12 of those points came from the free throw line. While there’s nothing wrong in scoring most of your points from the charity stripe, you can’t just make 3 of your 11 shots in the field and expect to win against Ginebra. Yep, Jayson Castro’s view was blurry as he only made 3 out of his 11 attempts including 2 of 7 from rainbow country. Roger Pogoy also shot poorly especially beyond the arc where he missed 8 of his 10 attempts in that area.  TNT won last night despite Rain or Shine shooting better in the field. The KaTropa will need everyone on board to have a good field goal percentage and avoid getting themselves buried in shooting slumps.

Rely heavily on the starters

Let’s put it this way: if Glen Rice Jr. wasn’t on the court to pick up Jayson Castro’s missed 3-point attempt during the dying seconds and score on a  putback, it could have altered the outcome. Both players had to log 40 minutes because only Anthony Semerad had a respectable 3 of 4 shooting night, good for his 8 points off the bench before fouling out late in the 4th. TNT must find a way not to force its starters to play heavy minutes because come clutch situations, fatigue will play a critical part and in situations like these especially during the semifinals against the defending champions, the fresher your legs are, the better you can perform. The bench players of TNT will play a vital role because they can help take off some of the offensive load from Castro and Rice Jr. to help them stay fresh come the 4th quarter

Glen Rice Jr Saves the day as TNT Avoids Upset, Books Semifinal Slot Against Ginebra

Ugly win against gusty Elasto Painters did the job

Glen Rice Jr. scored 34 points to lead TNT. (Photo by the PBA Media Bureau)

Talk N Text had the chance to make this match-up wrapped in one game. They failed. They came short. Now, both the KaTropa and the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters will have to battle it out for the final time to know who between the two teams will earn the honor of meeting the already-waiting Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings in the semifinals.

Both teams struggled to hold onto the lead, especially in the second half. Both teams didn’t shoot better than 50% in the field in the endgame. But against all odds, the Talk N Text KaTropa prevented an upset by eliminating the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters on a 118-114 victory that booked the KaTropa a slot in the semifinals for a chance to dethrone the defending champions, the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings.

As everyone was expecting them to do, the Talk N Text KaTropa came out firing early in the first quarter as they made 6 of their first 7 attempts to hold an 8-point lead but the Elasto Painters’ offense finally started to click in and bridged the gap at 21-18 on Mark Borboran’s 3-point play. Right after TNT increased their edge back 8, Chris Tiu later brought it down to two on his 3-point shot with 1:19 to play in the first. Mark Borboran ended the opening chapter with a three-pointer to beat the buzzer to tie the score at 27 all. Borboran already 9 points to lead all scorers while TNT’s import, Glen Rice Jr. 8 points during the first 12 minutes. of play.

If TNT was firing on all cylinders in the first quarter, the beginning of the second was a little different as the defense of Rain or Shine forced the KaTropa to turn the ball over multiple times or take highly-contested shots that missed the basket. Later, J’Nathan Bullock drained a jumper to make 42-35 in favor of the Elasto Painters, their biggest lead in the first half. 

The Blur, Jayson Castro nailed a 3-pointer in the ensuing possessions to bring his team within 1, at 43-42 and then added a pair of free throws to give TNT a one-point lead with under 5 minutes before the break. The lead switched hands multiple times as both teams struggled to mount scoring runs as both teams every made basket with another basket and, every missed shot with another missed shot. As a result, both teams headed into the break with the score tied at 59 apiece after Jericho Cruz made a buzzer-beating jumper for the Elasto Painters.

Both teams were shooting relatively good percentages with TNT making 45% of their attempts in the first half while Rain or Shine converted 51% of their own. Glen Rice Jr. led the KaTropa with 18 points while Jayson Castro added 16 points which include 8 free throws and two from beyond the arc. Bullock on the other hand, scored 15 first-half points while Beau Belga added 12. 

What was the difference that worked for TNT? Free throw shooting. As a team, TNT attempted 25 free throws in the first half alone, making 20 of them. In contrast, Rain or Shine only made 7 of their 9 attempts from the free throw line.

It took almost two minutes into the 3rd quarter before either team scored, a spell that was by broken by Glen Rice Jr. a lay-up and J’Nathan Bullock on a pair of charities at the other end. After Bullock nailed a long one off a lucky bounce, Anthony Semerad answered a three-pointer of his own to increase TNT’s advantage to 5 which was later trimmed down to 1 anew off a Mark Borboran lay-up with 5:06 to go, forcing TNT Coach Nash Racela to call for a timeout.  The rest of the 3rd quarter became a free throw shooting contest as both teams struggled to make any notable run. The Elasto Painters had an 86-85 lead entering the final quarter

Chris Tiu and Gabe Norwood drained a three-pointer each to open the fourth quarter to give Rain or Shine, a  7-point lead, prompting TNT to call for another with barely 2 minutes into the quarter. A pair of threes from Ryan Reyes and Anthony Semerad enabled the KaTropa to grab the lead at 102-100 with under 6 minutes to work with.

From that point on, the match became a shootout as Jericho Cruz added another trey for Rain or Shine to tie the score at 105 apiece with less than 4 minutes to play. The Elasto Painter later regained the lead after a  Norwood trey but TNT went on a 5-0 scoring run that made it 112-108, in favor of the KaTropa approaching the final two-minute mark.

Then, Beau Belga and Jericho Cruz combined for Rain or Shine next 4 points to tie the score, again, at 112 all. Two free throws from Bullock gave Rain or Shine the edge, at 114-112 with 46 seconds to go. 3 seconds later, Castro drew J’Nathan Bullock’s 5th foul and drained the ensuing free throws. After the Elasto Painter failed to score on their next possession, Glen Rice Jr. tipped back Castro’s air-balled trey which gave KaTropa the lead, at 116-114 with 10 ticks to play. A bad pass by Bullock enabled TNT to dribble away the clock as Ryan Reyes made two more charities to end the game.

Glen Rice Jr. came out of his shooting slump to finish with 34 points, 16 rebounds and 9 assists. Jayson Castro, despite making 3 of his 11 field goal attempts, finished with 20 points, built on 12 free throws. He also dished away 12 assists in the game. Troy Rosario and Roger Pogoy added 18 and 16 respectively while Kelly Williams scored 10 points. Points off turnovers were one of the reasons why the KaTropa prevented Rain or Shine from running away especially in the 4th quarter. In addition to this, TNT held a 38-32 advantage in points in the paint.

Rain or Shine on the other hand, was led by Bullock’s 30 points. Beau Belga scored 18 to lead the bench players of the Elasto Painters who, for the second straight game, outscored the bench players of TNT, 54-20. Gabe Norwood finished with 14 while Jericho Cruz added 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Scores:

TNT – 118

Rice Jr. 34,  Castro 20, Rosario 18, Pogoy 16, Willams 10, Semerad 8, Reyes 5, Carey 4, Tautuaa 3, Golla 0, Nuyles 0, Hernandez 0, Lingganay 0, Seigle 0, Chua 0

Rain or Shine – 114

Bullock 30, Belga 18, Borboran 15, Norwood 14, Cruz 11, Tiu 10, Ahanmisi 7, Trollano 5, Almazan 4, Maiquez 0, Ponferada 0, Yap 0, Robles 0, Matias 0, King 0, Daquioag 0

Quarter scoring:

27-27, 59-59, 85-86, 118-114

3 Things TNT Needs To Do Against ROS

These things will bring the TNT KaTropa to the semifinals

Glen Rice Jr. only made 8 of his 28 attempts last Wednesday. (Photo by the PBA Media Bureau)

Many thought that the Talk N Text KaTropa would put an end to the season of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters when they opened their quarterfinals match-up last Wednesday. Unfortunately, many were disappointed when the Elasto Painters were able to weather away from a furious 4th quarter comeback by TNT as they successfully pulled a 106-102 victory which is the reason they will need to play one more time tonight to decide who between them will face the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings in the semifinals.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We all know that the players of Coach Nash Racela are capable of beating any team regardless if they have the twice-to-beat-advantage or not. Fortunately for TNT, finishing in the Top 4 at the end of the elimination round gives them another chance to make things right and to be able to move on to the next level, there are things that they need to do to avoid another embarrassing loss and below are those things:

Bench must produce!

If we’re going to look back at last Wednesday’s game, one of the reasons why TNT ran out of gas especially during their failed 4th quarter comeback was the mere fact that there was no significant production that came out from the bench players of TNT who combined to finished with 9 points which a far cry to the 29 points of the bench of ROS. 

If TNT wishes to get rid of the Elasto Painters, they will need everyone on board and they cannot simply rely on the heroics of Jayson Castro especially during clutch situations. For one, Roger Pogoy must become the player who helped his team beat Ginebra in the final game of the elimination round. In their game last Wednesday,  Pogoy only had 7 points and 6 fouls. If anything, this conference has proven what Pogoy can do and he will need to bring his A+ game come tonight. And so is the rest of the bench players of TNT.

Glen Rice Jr. must score more

The defense of Coach Caloy Garcia and his wards had successfully limited Glen Rice Jr.’s offensive output to only 19 points while making only 8 of his 28 attempts including just 1 of 12 three-point attempts. Coming into tonight’s game, Nash Racela knows that for his team to have a chance against the Elasto Painters, he must tell his import to manage his attempts and only take the shots that have a higher chance of going into the basket because otherwise, a missed shot is a missed opportunity for the rest of the team. Last Wednesday’s game saw Rice Jr. waste 20 scoring opportunities for his team. He doesn’t only need to score more for  TNT to win the game. He needs to slow things down on offense.

Make it rain

As ugly as it sounds, TNT only made 9 of 35 shots from rainbow country, a horrible 25% shooting from that area. And that is not the kind of shooting percentage you can expect from a TNT team that is loaded with shooters. In contrast, Rain or Shine made it rain from deep the entire game and they continuously bombed away and finished the game, making 16  out of 42 from deep. 

If anything, TNT has been known, loved and even hated by opposing teams for their ability to make it rain with threes and if they can go back to that habit of making more threes like nothing else happened, TNT would be a very scary team to play against and Ginebra would better watch out. 

ROS Survives Furious TNT Run in 4th

Rain or Shine forces a do or die game after diffusing TNT

Gabe Norwood scored 15 points to extend the season for ROS (Photo by the PBA Media Bureau)

This game featured two different teams with identical situations coming into the game. Both teams are still in working progress as they’ve undergone coaching changes. Both teams also traded some of their longtime players so they’re building new chemistry amongst themselves. The only difference is that in this quarterfinal series, one team has to win twice before moving on into the semifinals and that team is the Rain or Shine Elato Painters. Sure, beating the Talk N Text KaTropa on two consecutive occasions may be a big challenge but it’s not impossible, right?

Just when everyone thought that there would be another come-from-behind win again, nope. Not this time. The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters survived despite being held scoreless for almost 4 minutes in the 4th quarter as they beat the TNT KaTropa, 106-102.

The game between the KaTropa and the Elasto Painters began with both engaging in an exchange of scored baskets especially those that are off forced turnovers. Both teams were able to run the open floor and score on multiple attempts from the three-point line as the first quarter ended with TNT up by 2, at 28-26. When the 2nd quarter began, it became a battle of forced turnovers as TNT was able to take advantage the Elasto Painters’ mistakes by scoring on the other end. Then, TNT on a scoring run to increase their lead to 8 only for Rain or Shine to climb right back at as they tied the game with under 4 minutes to go in the quarter. The Elasto Painters took the lead and built an 8-point lead of their own after J’Nathan Bullock nailed a jumper with 1:57 on the clock, forcing Nash Racela to call for a timeout.

Rain or Shine entered the halftime break with a 5-point lead, at 52-47 thanks to Bullock’s 23 points to lead all scorers. The Elasto Painters did everything right in the first half from the field goal shooting at 46% including 40% from beyond the arc, to the making extra passes which results in a 13-8 advantage in the total assists.

For TNT, Anthony Semerad exploded for 11 of 16 first-half points in the first quarter alone to lead the KaTropa. Jayson Castro and Glen Rice Jr. added 9 points apiece. Even though TNT struggled offensively in the first half, they took advantage of the fastbreak points, holding a 6-4 edge in that category. In addition to this, the KaTropa were able to keep the score close for the majority of the first half by scoring more off their own missed opportunities as they also held a 9-2 advantage in terms of second-chance points.

Troy Rosario opened the scoring in the 3rd quarter by making a shot off an offensive rebound only to be answered by Chris Tiu on the other end. Jayson Castro soon scored on a lay-up and Kelly Williams added another field goal to put KaTropa back in the lead at 58-56 with 8:37 to play in the quarter, forcing Coach Caloy Garcia to call a timeout. The Elasto Painters scored on back-to-back three-pointers made by Chris Tiu and Gabe Norwood to give them the lead. Another trey by Beau Belga pushed the lead to 6 with 6 minutes to spare. Then, Kelly Williams scored on an alley-oop dunk off a lob from Castro to cut the lead down to 1 in the next few possessions.

Glen Rice Jr. later dunked on THREE defenders and Roger Pogoy added another lay-up to put TNT back in the lead and was followed by an acrobatic lay-up by Kelly Williams. with under 4 to play. After a couple of missed shots by the KaTropa, the Elasto Painters took back the lead on another pair of three-pointers by Gabe Norwood and J’Nathan Bullock. Kelly Williams added another dunk plus a free throw but Rain or Shine scored as they took an 84-75 lead heading into the 4th quarter.

Don Trollano scored on a three-pointer to open the 4th quarter scoring as Rain or Shine’s lead ballooned to double figures at 87-75 as Raymond Almazan followed with another putback to increase the lead to 14, just 2 minutes into the quarter. A Gabe Norwood trey increased the lead to 15 but Kelly Williams answered back with an inside shot for TNT.  The KaTropa continued to clank on their trey during the early minutes of the 4th as Pogoy fouled out with 7:43 to play. At this time, the Elasto Painters were already leading by 18 points after Almazan scored on a pair of charities. A driving lay-up by Maverick Ahanmisi put his team up 20 points with 6:27 to go as Coach Nash Racela called for another time because his team was struggling, both offensively and defensively.

A 9-0 scoring run by TNT cut down the lead to 102-91 with under 4 minutes to play. Troy Rosario added another pair of free throws to cut the lead to 9. The lead was later pushed down to 7 off Glen Rice Jr’s basket. Jericho Cruz finally ended the scoring drought for the Elasto Painters to bring the lead back to 9 approaching the final 2-minute mark. Knowing that his team needed a basket, Jayson Castro scored on another trey to cut the lead down to 6 with 1:17 on the clock to work with.

Glen Rice Jr. later attacked the basket, fished on a foul from a defender, and calmly drained both charities to put the lead back to 4 with under a minute left. After a series of bad passes by both teams which ended with the ball in Norwood’s hands, Ahanmisi drained 1 of 2 free throws to increase their lead to 5 anew with 33 seconds to play. Rice Jr.’s dunk’s cut down the lead as the Elasto Painters just made 1 of the free throws on the next possession, keeping the door open for TNT with 12 seconds to go. TNT missed the next two three-pointers as time ran out for them.

J’Nathan Bullock led the way for the Elasto Painters with 31 points to go along with his 15 rebounds. Bullock scored on 7 out of 12 three-point shots. Gabe Norwood added 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. Almazan finished the game with 13 points while Ahanmisi added 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. What won the game for the Elasto Painters was their three-point shooting as well as their bench scoring which saw the bench players of Rain or Shine outscored their TNT counterparts, 29-9.

For the KaTropa, Kelly Williams had 23 points and 10 rebounds while Jayson Castro added 22 points. Import Glen Rice Jr. had to settle for 19 points on a miserable 8 of 28 field goal shooting and this was actually one of the reasons why TNT fell behind in the first place. Anthony Semerad had 19 points too and was followed by Troy Rosario who 10 points and 16 rebounds.

Scores:

Rain or Shine – 106
Bullock 31, Norwood 15, Almazan 13, Ahanmisi 10, Tiu 10, Trollano 10, Cruz 8, Belga 5, Borboran 2, Daquioag 2, Maiquez 0, Ponferada 0, Yap 0, Robles 0, Matias 0, King 0

TNT – 102
Williams 23, Castro 22, Semerad 19, Rice Jr. 19, Rosario 10, Pogoy 7, Siegel 2, Golla 0, Carey 0, Nuyles 0, Tautuaa 0, Hernandez 0, Reyes 0, Lingganay 0, Chua 0

Quarter scoring:

26-28, 52-47, 84-75, 106-102

Video: TNT’s Rice Jr and Castro Exploded to Gain Crucial Win Against Ginebra

TNT Makes Life More Miserable for Gin Kings with Complications

Glen Rice Jr. regained his shooting touch to help lead TNT to an important win. (Photo by the PBA Media Bureau)

If there’s one game where both teams knew that they cannot afford to lose, it’s probably this game between crowd-darling Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings against the Talk N Text Katropa. 

Why? Let’s just say that if Ginebra will lose this game, their road towards a back-to-back Governors’ Cup titles will be much complicated because we all have to remember that the Meralco Bolts can still snatch that Number 1 seed from the Gin Kings, should the Bolts win tomorrow. 

As for the Katropa, a win against the Gin Kings will enable them to finish the elimination round with an 8-3 record and should the Bolts go on to win against the San Miguel Beerman tomorrow, Talk N Text will have a fighting chance via the PBA quotient system to enter the playoffs as the number 3 team.

As it turned out, Ginebra will have to wait for the result of the Meralco-San Miguel game tomorrow to know their fate after the Talk N Text Katropa dominated them 122-98 which pushed the Gin Kings’ record to 8-3 after 11 games

The first half was a see-saw battle with Ginebra leading after the first 12 minutes of action and then TNT just started stepping on the gas at every scoring opportunity as Jayson Castro buried 3 of his attempts from beyond the arc as he led TNT with 17 points and 4 assists at the break. TNT took an 8 point lead into halftime despite the struggle of their import, Glen Rice Jr., who had 16 points on a miserable 5 of 15 shooting. 

Ginebra on the other hand only had Justin Brownlee who had 14 points at halftime to lead the Gin Kings. While Ginebra forced their opponent to make only 35% of their shots from the rainbow country, they allowed TNT to dominate the 2-point area which saw Castro and company 61% of the shots inside during the first half as compared to Ginebra who only made 42% of their shot within the 2-point area.

When the third quarter started, TNT started building a double-digit lead which reached 14 with under 8 minutes to play in the quarter thanks to Rice Jr’s aggressiveness. In addition to this, local players of Coach Nash Racela made a significant impact throughout the game to counter the earlier struggle of their import. Ginebra fell behind by as much as 17 points after a trey from Rice Jr. with under 6 minutes to go in the quarter. In fact, Ginebra struggled to sustain an offensive run as TNT would simply answer every run they make with a scoring run of their own as the lead later ballooned to 20 after another 3-pointer from who else? Glen Rice Jr. who scored 18 points in that quarter alone. RR Pogoy later hit a 3-pointer of his own to put TNT up by 22 with 4 minutes to spare. Ginebra’s Head Coach Tim Cone could only watch as his team fell behind by 17 entering the fourth quarter.

TNT wanted to make sure that they kept Ginebra at bay as they started the 4th quarter with back-to-back treys from Jayson Castro which forced Tim Cone to call a timeout 2 minutes into the quarter. The Blur would later add 2 more treys and Pogoy would score on a fastbreak dunk as TNT  continued to pound in on the points.

What doomed Ginebra in this game? Tons of things. They weren’t able to contain the 3-point shooting of TNT. They allowed Castro and company to make the most of their opportunity from beyond the 3-point line, converting a total of 17 out of 40 attempts which is a far cry to Ginebra’s 6 of 23 attempts from beyond the arc Ginebra was also outscored in terms of the fastbreak points where they only converted 6 points compared to 19 fastbreak points by TNT.

Glen Rice Jr. recovered from his early slump to lead his team with 36 points including 6 of 13 attempts from rainbow country. Castro complimented their import’s performance with 28 points on his own to go along with his 7 assists.  Troy Rosario added 15 points, which includes a perfect 3 of 3 shooting from beyond the arc, and 10 rebounds while Kelly Williams finished with 10 points and 11 boards. Roger Pogoy finished the elimination round with 15 points to lead TNT’s players off the bench. 

On the other hand, only Justin Brownlee and Japeth Aguilar managed to score in double figures for the Gin Kings as Brownlee and Aguilar finished with 28 and 19 respectively. The rest of the Gin Kings struggled miserably starting with LA Tenorio who only made 1 of his 9 attempts for his 6 points.  Joe Devance was also struggling with his offense as he only converted 3 of his 8 attempts, good for 7 points for the night. The Gin Kings cannot simply play this way if they want to win back-to-back Governors’ Cup titles.

Scores:

TNT – 121
Rice Jr. 36, Castro 28, Rosario 15, Pogoy 15, Semerad 4, Chua 4, Golla 3, Carey 2, Tautuaa 2, Siegle 2, Nuyles 0, Hernandez 0, Reyes 0, Lingganay 0, Tamsi 0

Ginebra – 92
Brownlee 28, J. Aguilar 19, Thompson 9, Devance 7, Tenorio 6, Mercado 6, R. Aguilar 4, Caguioa 4, Slaughter 4, Ferrer 3, Cruz 2, Helterbrand 0, Jamito 0, Mariano 0, Taha 0

Quarter scores:

30-31, 57-49, 88-69, 121-92

Glen Rice Jr Proved he is Worthy of the Name and the Stint with TNT in the PBA

Glen Rice Jr Shines as TNT KaTropa Delivers 6th Loss in a row of  Phoenix Fuel Masters 

TNT flipped the coin as they got back to the win column after suffering a defeat against Rain or Shine in their last game. Rain or Shine however, continues their deep dive to the loss column by suffering their 6 straight losses in 8 games.

Glen Rice Jr., delivered what was expected of him in his second game in the league after being given a chance by the Talk n Text management due to his dismal first game performance that cost them a loss.

The KaTropa is now in the middle of the standing with 3 wins and 2 losses.

Glen Rice Jr., the son of the famous NBA shooter has been amazing against Phoenix as he scored 38 points on 58% shooting while grabbing 9 boards, dishing 5 assists and 3 blocks.

The game was a close one that even had the Phoenix leading by the end of the first half 49-46.

It was the 3rd quarter burst however, that made the difference in the game as TNT exploded to a 40 point performance and was able to steadily maintain the lead until the rest of the game.

Phoenix import also did well at 49 but his performance was not good enough for them to capture the elusive win.

The scores:

TNT 110 – Rice Jr. 38, Williams 18, De Ocampo 14, Pogoy 13, Castro 11, Tautuaa 7, Semerad 7, Lingganay 2, Reyes 0, Carey 0, Hernandez 0

PHOENIX 103 – Brown 49, Eriobu 12, Wright 11, Intal 10, Jazul 8, Chan 5, Alolino 4, Kramer 2, J. Wilson 2, Dehesa 0

Quarterscores: 25-23, 46-49, 86-79, 110-103