Petron hopes to put Friday the 13th curse on Talk 'N Text

Petron is well aware how proud a champion Talk 'N Text is. So given the first of three opportunities to dethrone the reigning Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) All-Filipino Conference champions, the Boosters vow to end the series on Friday the 13th. "Siguro hindi na namin pakakawalan ito. Nandito na ang chance. Seventy to 80 percent nandito na. Ang hirap kung magre-relax pa kami. Bihira ang ganitong chance," said two-time league Most Valuable Player (MVP) Danny Ildefonso, who turned back the hands of time Wednesday night to power the Boosters to an emphatic 85-82 win at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. The victory—Petron's third straight—gave the Boosters a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven semifinals series putting the franchise in a better position of claiming the first Finals berth when Game Five is played also at the Big Dome. Ato Agustin, the brilliant Petron coach, also displayed the same mindset Ildefonso has going into the 7:30 p.m. main game of a weekend doubleheader that features Rain or Shine and Powerade in the 5:15 p.m. curtain raiser. "We need one more win. We have to focus on (Friday's) game. It's 3-1, so the tendency of the players is to relax. That shouldn't happen. It's a best-of-seven series and we need four wins to clinch the series. We don't want Talk 'N Text getting its confidence back," added Agustin. Petron is on the verge of again denying Talk 'N Text a piece of history. After foiling the telecommunications franchise's Grand Slam bid in last season's Governors Cup, the Boosters are again looking to spoil the Tropang Texters' attempt to become the first team in 27 years to become back-to-back All-Filipino champions. Faced with the tough task of beating the Boosters three straight times to make the championship round for the fourth consecutive time, Talk 'N Text coach Chot Reyes would like to take things one game at a time. "Our only thought is to get one win, and then we'll take it from there,” Reyes said. Ildefonso, 35, fired 22 points in Petron's Game 4 win, capping his MVP-like performance by burying an open jumper from the right corner to give the Boosters the lead for good, 83-82. After the Tropang Texters missed at the other end, rookie Chris Lutz added two free throws that turned out to be the marginal baskets as Jimmy Alapag and Ranidel De Ocampo threw bricks on consecutive three-point tries in an attempt to send the game into overtime. "We tip our hats off to Petron," Reyes said. "They really have put up a great team together. They're making the shots they need to make and we've been missing the shots we're supposed to make. That's the story of this series." In the 37-year history of Asia's first ever play-for-pay league, only two teams managed to comeback from a 3-1 deficit to win a series. Ginebra's legendary 1991 team was the first to accomplish the feat when it beat Shell in the 1991 First Conference Finals, before Purefoods did it against Alaska in the 2005-06 Philippine Cup semifinals. Other Final Four match-up Making shots is also the story line of the other semifinal series between Rain or Shine and Powerade, currently tied at two-games apiece. "As long we keep on knocking down our shots, we'll be okay. We also have to limit our turnovers," said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao. The Elasto Painters drained 10 three-pointers in a 110-95 Game Four win Tuesday night that leveled their showdown. In contrast, the Tigers shot a paltry 35 percent from the floor on 30-of-84 clip. The team also missed 11 free throws. Powerade coach Bo Perasol, however, said the Tigers are bound to get better in Game 5. "We will make our shots this time," Perasol said. "It was good that we had a day's rest. We are confident that we have what it takes to beat Rain or Shine." — JVP, GMA News