Will TNT, SMB seal deal?

Is it time for a fiery duel for the PBA’s crown jewel between Season 49’s winningest team and the league’s most titled squad in history?

That’s surely what grand slam-seeking TNT and San Miguel Beer, both with 3-2 leads, aim to set as they go for the kill against their respective rivals in Game 6 of the Philippine Cup semifinal series today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Denied of the clincher by Rain or Shine last Friday, the Governors’ Cup and Commissioner’s Cup kingpin Tropang 5G try to seal their finals advance again at 7:30 p.m. with coach Chot Reyes back after serving suspension during their 97-113 loss in Game 5.

The Beermen, owners of 29 PBA championships but title-less since the Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup, seek to wrap up their race-to-four against Barangay Ginebra at 5 p.m.

SMB, runner-up in the last All-Filipino, broke the back-and-forth trend against the Gin Kings with a second consecutive win, 103-92, to move on the cusp of a finals return at 3-2.

“I told the boys we have to win Game 5 because it’s really pivotal. Usually ang nananalo ng Game 5s ay malaki ang chances to get into the finals,” said Beermen coach Leo Austria, whose charges lost Games 1 and 3 but bounced back in Games 2 and 4.

“But (we) still have a lot of work because ang kalaban natin ay never say die. You cannot count Ginebra out because alam natin ‘yung kanilang puso. So we expect the next game to be hard.”

He’s perfectly right about that.

“As the old cliché goes, it takes four to win, doesn’t take three. It’s not a five-game series, it’s a seven-game series. So we›ll regroup and see if we can come up with a big performance on Sunday,” said Gin Kings mentor Tim Cone.

The Tropang 5G look to make good on their second crack at closing out ROS as Reyes re-assumes shot-calling chores after serving his one-game ban for accumulating five technical fouls this conference.

There’s also the possibility of RR Pogoy’s return to active duty as he reported progress on his recovery from hamstring injury.

“Tignan natin. Hintay lang talaga ako ng go signal (from doctors),” said Pogoy.