Fate of TNT import a mystery after sitting out in the latter part of Game 3 loss to Ginebra

MANILA, Philippines — On the verge of completing a sweep, TNT was dealt with a bizarre card in Game Three of its PBA semifinals series against Barangay Ginebra Thursday night.

In the first half, the Texters  struggled to get out of a funk. With an arsenal that features players like Gilas members Jayson Castro, Troy Rosario and RR Pogoy, they simply had no counter for the hot-shooting Ginebra side.

Then things took a stranger turn when import Joshua Smith had his shoes accidentally taken off during a physical play on the post. The TNT import took time to wear his right shoe back, but he eventually failed to do so and pick up where he left off.

Chatter had it that his shoe got busted midgame. Spin.ph later reported that the TNT management said that their import “was feeling pain in his right foot.”

During the fourth period where Ginebra was already enjoying a comfortable lead, the 330-pound Smith went to the team’s locker room. Another pair of shoes was then delivered by a courier, which was spotted and tweeted by game host Mara Aquino and TV5’s Patricia Hizon.