Message to TNT: Fire Smith, fire up Texters

MANILA, Philippines - Will TNT KaTropa stick with Josh Smith or will it finally tap a new import with the Texters now down 1-2 in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup best-of-seven finals?

Even after losing the last two games that enabled San Miguel Beer to move ahead in the series, TNT coach Nash Racela insisted they will keep Smith in the roster.

“We’re not thinking about that at this point,” he said.

But there were quarters in the league who said that the change seems to be a logical move at this stage since the Texters have two standby imports, and San Miguel appears to have found ways to neutralize Smith as shown in the Beermen’s decisive victories in Game Two (102-88) and Game Three (109-97).

“They may need a new offensive firepower to at least force San Miguel to alter its rotation,” said a PBA coach.

He added the logical choice as replacement is Michael Craig, a wing guy who is set to reinforce the Texters in the season-ending Governors Cup.

“There would be hardly a change if they tap in Mike Myers since he’s also a post player like Smith. He’s even smaller,” he pointed out.

The Beermen outplayed the Texters at the backcourt in winning the last two games after dropping the series opener, 102-104, on Smith’s buzzer-beater.

Chris Ross sparkled with 20 points, nine assists, five rebounds, four steals and a block in Game Two while Alex Cabagnot stood out with 28 markers, nine boards, six assists in Game Three.

The SMB backcourt duo completely outclassed their TNT counterparts in the last two games.

Roger Pogoy was held scoreless in those games after exploding for a career-high 27 points in Game One while Jayson Castro made 17 points but was forced into 10 turnovers in Game Three.

Both TNT players agreed that the Beermen’s defense forced the Texters to a total of 23 errors, which they converted to 26 points.

“They have a good defense on our ball screens, and they’re focused on me. They anticipated the assists that I was doing before. I need to adjust and we need to protect the ball more,” said Castro.

“They’re now closing in on me. They used to give me open shots. I now hardly get a good look at the basket. There’s always a challenge when I take a shot,” said Pogoy, 0-of-13 from the field in the last two games.

Racela said they would need to address their problem with turnovers if they’re to stop the Beermen’s bid for a follow-up to their Philippine Cup title run.

“It’s a combination of their defense and poor execution on our part,” rued Racela.

The TNT coach said they’re doing well in Game Three until Ross and Cabagnot took over the game.