THERE is little doubt about Donte Greene's capability of putting the ball in the hoop.
But with his shots not falling consistently for the second straight game, TNT KaTropa coach Nash Racela tasked his import to put premium on his defense against a red-hot Wayne Chism of NLEX.
He obliged.
"His offense will always be there, but we want more from him on the defensive end. It's something that we are encouraging him to do," said Racela after TNT's come-from-behind 126-121 overtime win.
Struggling to find his rhythm anew after making just nine of his 27 attempts, Greene opted to put the ball in Castro's hands late while focusing on stopping Chism.
That worked wonders for the Texters as Chism was limited to just five points in the fourth after putting up 27 in the first three quarters.
"Still wasn't my best (game)," Greene insisted after the game. "I just try to do other things, hustling, diving on the floor. Rebounding. All those little things to help my team."
[See Teary-eyed Lanete offers no excuses after endgame miscues cost NLEX]
Greene finished with 24 points and 16 boards and though his output is still far off from what's expected of him, he's more than willing to give up a little bit of his offense if it means getting wins for TNT.
"I'm comfortable (focusing on rebounds and defense). Whatever it takes to win," Greene continued.
"I'm a basketball player. I don't limit myself to just doing one thing, I try to do everything. Tonight, the team needed me to defend, rebound and I just tried to do my best."
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