MANILA, Philippines -- For TNT veteran Jayson Castro, his superb performance in Game 4 of the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup finals had nothing to do with a desire to make up for a costly miss in their previous game.

Castro flubbed a potential game-winning jump shot in regulation of Game 3 last Friday, and the San Miguel Beermen went on to take a 108-100 win in overtime for a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

In Game 4 on Sunday night, the Tropang GIGA did not need crunch time heroics from Castro. "The Blur" torched the Beermen for 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting, while adding six rebounds and four assists in a 100-87 triumph.

• READ: TNT outguns SMB in Game 4 to tie Finals

"Kailangan namin maging aggressive, kasi 'yung past two games namin, sobrang ang bagal ng mga execution namin," Castro said of their mentality heading into the fourth game. "At the same time, 'yung defense namin, sobrang parang lahat sobrang passive."

"So sinabi lang ni Coach Chot [Reyes] na maging aggressive kami both on defense and offense," he added.

Castro made sure that TNT stayed in control of the game, spearheading a third-quarter burst that gave them some separation after San Miguel had erased an 18-point first-half deficit. Mikey Williams and Roger Pogoy then put the finishing touches on the victory in the fourth period.

Yet when asked if his explosive shooting night was a way to bounce back from his Game 3 gaffe, Castro made it clear that the only thing on his mind was winning.

"[If] we lost today, mahirap na makabangon sa 3-1 [series deficit]," he pointed out. "So sabi nga namin na kailangan namin manalo ngayon. Must-win sa amin, kasi ang hirap kalaban ng San Miguel kung 3-1 kami."

"And then, kalaban mo, San Miguel, parang napaka-imposible, 'di ba? So binigyan lang namin ng chance 'yung team namin para maka-tie ngayon," he added. "Parang wala pang nakakabangon sa 3-1. Meron na, pero napakahirap para mag-champion ka."

Making the result all the more satisfying for Castro is that TNT got solid contributions across the board, on both ends of the floor. He took Player of the Game honors for his vintage performance, but Pogoy also had 21 points, and Williams set the tone by scoring 11 of his 15 points in the first half.

Kelly Williams had 14 points and seven boards while anchoring their defense on San Miguel's June Mar Fajardo. As a team, TNT only committed three turnovers -- the fewest ever in a PBA game.

• READ: SMB's Fajardo nabs record-extending 9th BPC award
• READ: BPC coronation is bittersweet for SMB's Fajardo

"'Yung mga player, nagusap-usap kung paano makapag-contribute, bawat isa sa amin," said Castro.

Up next for TNT is the pivotal Game 5, set for Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.

PBA Season 47 games can be streamed live and on-demand on iWantTFC with a Premium subscription, available worldwide except PH and US.

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