DEFENDING champion TNT Tropang Giga’s series-clinching 87-74 win over Magnolia in Game 6 of their best-of-seven semifinal series in the PBA Philippine Cup last Sunday enabled them to get extra days of rest before the much-awaited finals.

The Tropang Giga finished off the Hotshots, 4-2.

With Meralco staying alive with a stunning, come-from-behind 96-92 win over top seed San Miguel Beer in the other semifinal series, TNT will now have several days of rest before trooping back to the floor for their third straight finals appearance.

They will have to wait for the results of Wednesday’s sudden death match between San Miguel and Meralco to find out their championship opponent.

TNT coach Chot Reyes said the break is definitely a big relief to his battle-weary team.

“It’s very big for us. As you can see, we’ve got a lot of players who are banged-up. So that extra break would really come in handy,” said Reyes in an interview posted at the official PBA website.

Reyes admitted either San Miguel or Meralco will be a tough opponent in the championship.

The 59-year-old TNT mentor said he will use the break to prepare physically and mentally on what he expects to be “another tough series with a higher stakes on the line.”

“(That’s) not only to rest but also to prepare. I haven’t really taken a look at the other series. I caught glimpses, here and there, but now at least, we can take a look.”

Last Sunday, Jayson Castro scored a game-high 26 points, including a back-breaking triple, to power the Tropang Giga to victory over the Hotshots.

Mikey Williams added 15 points and Roger Pogoy contributed 14 points for TNT.

Ian Sangalang and Calvin Abueva were the leading scorers for Magnolia.

The scores:

TNT (87) — Castro 26, M.Williams 15, Pogoy 14, Khobuntin 11, Erram 8, K.Williams 4, Rosario 4, Montalbo 2, Reyes 0, Marcelo 0, Ganuelas-Rosser 0.
Magnolia (74) – Sangalang 16, Abueva 16, Jalalon 11, Lee 10, Dela Rosa 6, Laput 4, Wong 3, Barroca 3, Dionisio 2, Escoto 2, Corpuz 1, Brill 1, Reavis 0, Ahanmisi 0, Zaldivar 0.
Quarterscores: 21-17, 42-34, 60-55, 87-74.

The results:

Game 1 — TNT 108, Magnolia 96.
Game 2 — Magnolia 92, TNT 88.
Game 3 — TNT 93, Magnolia 92.
Game 4 — TNT 102, Magnolia 84.
Game 5 — Magnolia 105, TNT 97.
Game 6 — TNT 87-74.

(TNT wins series,4-2)