The PBA will have a double-header this Saturday at the Ynares Arena in Pasig City. The opening game will feature last conference’s finalist in the TNT Tropang Giga going up against a new-look Terrafirma Dyip. Which between these two teams will start their 2021 Philippine Cup campaign with a W?
Catch this game live on July 17 at 2:00 pm, Manila time.
The TNT Tropang Giga (0-0)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Jayson Castro
- SG: RR Pogoy
- SF: Kelly Williams
- PF: Troy Rosario
- C: John Paul Erram
All PBA teams are raring to play again, but the burning desire of the Tropang Giga to finally see action is likely the hottest of them all. They were embarrassed in the 2020 Philippine Cup Finals by the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the Clark Bubble despite a stacked lineup.
However, there will be a big hole to cover on TNT’s lineup, with Bobby Ray Parks Jr. opting to skip this conference due to personal reasons. Nevertheless, the Tropang Giga have enough talent to make noise anew. Jayson Castro has slowed down, but he remains a tier 1 point guard in the PBA and he’ll play alongside a dangerous scorer in RR Pogoy.
In the frontcourt, the presence of John Paul Erram and Troy Rosario. Not only that, but the Tropang Giga will also be parading highly-touted rookie in Mikey Williams, whose experience (played in the D-League) should serve TNT well. The Tropang Giga averaged 91.4 points per game in the 2020 Philippine Cup.
The Terrafirma Dyip (0-0)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Juami Tiongson
- SG: Rashawn McCarthy
- SF: Joshua Munzon
- PF: Roosevelt Adams
- C: Aldrech Ramos
The main story for Terrafirma going into the new season is that how the team would fare after trading away CJ Perez to the San Miguel Beermen. The trade landed the Dyip Matt Ganuelas-Rosser, Russel Escoto, and Gelo Alolino plus a first-round pick in the last draft, which they then used to select big man James Laput.
The Fil-Aussie can look raw on the floor, but his 6-10 frame will always have a place in the PBA. Alolino should provide experience and depth in the backcourt for Terrafirma, while Ganuelas-Rosser will be the team’s Swiss knife.
Also, the Dyip can turn to rookie Joshua Munzon right away. Munzon should be able to contribute right away, as he’s projected to inherit a big percentage of Perez’s usage rate. The door is also now wide open for Roosevelt Adams to take on a much bigger role. Adams was greatly underrated in the last Philippine Cup where he led the Dyip in rebounding with 8.1 per game.
PREDICTION:
The Tropang Giga show that some things remain the same, including the gap between them and the Dyip. Take TNT to start strong and score a dominant win against Terrafirma.
