Talk 'N Text shoots for history; Powerade tries to stay alive

Published January 26, 2012 8:41pm

History beckons for Talk 'N Text as the team goes for a sweep in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals Friday night opposite an embattled but overachieving Powerade side.

Game Four of the best-of-seven title series is at 6:45 p.m. at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum, with the defending champions hoping to deliver the knockout blow on the Tigers and become the first team, after Great Taste, in the last 27 years, to repeat as All-Filipino titlists.

A 133-126 overtime win Wednesday night moved Talk 'N Text closer to achieving the feat as the Tropang Texters enjoy a 3-0 lead in the Finals. Texters coach Chot Reyes expects his team to show the same championship poise that they displayed in the Game Three win when they go for the clincher. "So far, we have done a great job regarding mental discipline," Reyes said. "So we'll just stick to that thinking—to be concerned only of the next possession of the next game."

"In Game One, we took the first step. In Game Two the big step. In Game Three the biggest step. Now we have to make the final step,” Reyes said. No team in the PBA's 37-year history has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit, and while Powerade has shown how tough a team they are after eliminating top rank B-MEG and Rain or Shine one after the other in the post-season, the Tigers appeared to be drained after that Game Three loss. "Pagod na talaga," said Tigers' coach Bo Perasol of his team, specifically top gunner Gary David. David, despite dropping 36 points against the Texters on Wednesday, went 0-for-5 from the field in overtime, which the reigning champions totally controlled.

David, who is contesting the Best Player of the Conference (BPC) award with Petron star Arwind Santos, played a total of 48 minutes in Powerade's overtime loss. The BPC award will be given prior to Game Four. Still, Perasol hopes to steer the Tigers to one win in the Finals.

"Even if we're down 0-3, we still keep the fight that's in us. It really doesn't matter whether we're going to go 0-4 against them for as long as we understand the way we played."

With really nothing to lose, Reyes sees the Tigers even more dangerous.

"They're just going out there and play with their hearts out. Play very free, relax basketball and that's always dangerous. We know how Powerade feels and thinks right now. We've got to take that into heart," he said.

A Talk 'N Text sweep will be the first in the league since Purefoods blanked Alaska, 4-0, in the 2008-09 Philippine Cup. — JVP/KG, GMA News

Tags: talkntexttropangtexters, poweradetigers, pbaphilippinecupfinals, pbaphilippinecup, pbaseason