TNT just regained its winning ways and Calvin Oftana has a lot to do with it.
The 29-year-old forward is carrying the Tropang 5G right into his shoulders that allowed the telecommunication franchise to get back into the groove in the PBA Philippine Cup.
Oftana scored 20-plus points for the third straight time and powered TNT to a 101-84 win over defending champion Meralco Bolts Sunday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
He finished with 28 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals, while going 5-of-8 from three-point range.
The win improved the Tropang 5G's record to an even 3-3 after losing their first three outings of the conference.
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Obviously, Oftana played a huge part of that as he averaged 25.0 points per game, while shooting a high 56 percent from deep (9-of-16).
Despite leading the way for TNT, the former NCAA MVP belied the notion he's now the new face of the franchise.
"Ever since hindi ko inisip yun," said Oftana, who was named back-to-back Player of the Game in two of the three TNT wins.
"That (Player of the Game) has nothing to do with me na magiging face ng TNT."
Oftana still regards long-time captain and 10-time champion Jayson Castro as the true leader of the Tropang 5G.
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Castro has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after undergoing knee surgery.
"We have Jayson Castro, we have RR Pogoy, We have Kelly Williams na nasa roster pa," he said.
"Ang importante lang sa akin is maglaro kami every game with intensity, determination na manalo palagi at ang importante talaga sa akin is manalo talaga kami."
Oftana added he's just stepping up his game in the absence of Castro and resident import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, both of who were instrumental in TNT winning the first two conference championships of Season 49.
"We're just trying to build our own brand of TNT right now by not having kuya Jayson and Rondae in our roster," he said. (RG)
