Bolts unleash Gardner vs TNT, McCullough

MANILA, Philippines — While TNT rushed to find a replacement for the injured Bol Manute Bol, its rival in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals, Meralco, quietly made an import switch.

In a bid to overturn a 1-2 deficit, the Bolts tapped American-Egyptian Patrick Gardner as new reinforcement as Marvin Jones was unable to dominate against the importless Tropang 5G in the last two matches.

Though he had a game-high 22-15 in Game 3, Jones didn’t do enough against an all-Filipino TNT, leading to a stinging 75-77 loss and management decision to get a new man for the job.

Listed at 6-foot-11, Gardner is expected to bring experience from the G League and leagues in Egypt, Angola and Japan as well as the Egyptian national team to Meralco moving forward.

The 26-year-old Gardner is up against balik-PBA Chris McCullough, whom TNT picked over Malick Diouf for the rest of its title-retention drive in the absence of Bol (torn Achilles).

Today’s 7:30 p.m. Game 4 offers a rather rare feature in the PBA playoffs: Two teams fielding new reinforcements at the same time.

While changing horses mid-stream isn’t ideal and the locals ably manned the fort as they split the last two games, getting a sub became a necessity for the Tropang 5G.

“It’s very ticklish because introducing a new element to a team can always go both ways. They can give us a jolt of energy but it can also get in the way of how smooth things are going with the team,” said TNT coach Chot Reyes.

The defending champions are quite fortunate that this isn’t McCullough’s first rodeo, having previously guided San Miguel Beer to the 2019 Commissioner’s Cup crown.

Like the Tropang 5G, Barangay Ginebra seeks to seize a commanding 3-1 lead against Rain or Shine in their 5:15 p.m. faceoff.

The Gin Kings are on the roll, winning Games 2 (109-101) and 3 (103-98) after dropping the opener (111-115).