Talk 'N Text's biggest edge is having been there before

A veteran-heavy team going up against a rookie-laden squad rarely results in a surprise win by the young guns, barring injury or fatigue. It's thus no surprise that the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters hold a 3-0 lead in their PBA All-Filipino Cup championship series against the Powerade Tigers with a chance to lift the trophy Friday. And yet, upon closer inspection, the two teams may not be that far off when it comes to years. A look at their rosters reveal the average age of a player on Talk 'N Text is 29, while Powerade slightly older, at 29.43. It's also not about how long the players have been in the PBA either. The average amount of playing years in the PBA for a Tropang Texter is 6.07. For the Tigers, it's a pretty close at 5.71. Instead, the reason behind Talk 'N Text's seemingly unbeatable 3-0 series edge may just be that they've been there before multiple times and have come away with the four wins needed. Of the 15 players currently listed on the PBA's roster page for TNT, all but four players have won at least one PBA championship before. Eleven of the 15 are holdovers from last season's near-Triple Crown, when the Texters won the Philippine Cup, the Commissioners Cup, and then fell a game short of the Governors Cup: Jimmy Alapag, Harvey Carey, Ryan Reyes, Larry Fonacier, Jason Castro, Jared Dillinger, Kelly Williams, Ranidel de Ocampo, Ali Peek, Rich Alvarez and Gilbert Lao. Seven of those 11 also figured in the franchise's 2008-09 Philippine Cup championship: Alapag, Carey, Castro, Dillinger, de ocampo, Peek and Lao. Ryan Reyes and Kelly Williams, who were not part of that team, did however win the Philippine Cup a year prior, with the Sta. Lucia Realtors. And sharp-shooter Larry Fonacier might actually be the most decorated of them all, bagging titles with the Red Bull Barako in the 2005-06 Fiesta Conference and with the Alaska Aces in the 2010 Fiesta Conference. The four without a title to their name are rookie Pamboy Raymundo, the team's draft pick for this year, offseason acquisitions Shawn Weinstein and Bam Gamalinda, and former Smart-Gilas Pilipinas member Japeth Aguilar. By comparison, Powerade has just four players who have won at least one championship before. Romel Adducul boasts of wins in the 2004 Fiesta Conference and the 2004-05 Philippine Cup with the Barangay Ginebra Kings, and the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants in the 2009-10 Philippine Cup. Reserve big man Alex Crisano was also a part of the 2004 Fiesta Conference, and also won another title with Ginebra in the 2008 Fiesta Conference. In addition, Celino Cruz was a part of the 2005-06 Fiesta Conference titlist Red Bull Barako team with Fonacier, and sniper Will Antonio was on the Coca-Cola Tigers' 2003 Reinforced Conference champions. Powerade does, however, have two guys from the Gilas National Team in first round picks Jvee Casio, the top overall pick, and Marcio Lassiter. Another stark difference between the teams is how much playing time these past champions get. With the exception of Rich Alvarez and Gilbert Lao, the other nine Tropang Texters from last year's banner squad figure in prominently in the team's rotation, with each averaging at least 16 minutes. By contrast, Romel Adducul plays the most minutes among the veterans at 19.67 per game. Will Antonio gets by with 14, Celino Cruz plays 13.33, and Alex Crisano sees action just 4.5 minutes and failed to suit up in one of the three games. The starting line-ups further drive this point home. TNT has Alapag, Carey, Reyes, Dillinger and Aguilar on the court at the opening tip, meaning all but Aguilar have won a title. On the other hand, Powerade has Gary David, Doug Kramer, Casio, Lassiter and Sean Anthony, who haven't won a PBA championship ring among themselves. Without a doubt, the Tigers faces an up-hill climb when they go out on Friday to try to stave off elimination. This is not an unfamiliar place for Talk 'N Text to be in. As the Cinderella team, it's up to the Tiger to pull the rabbit out of their hat, perhaps a drastic change of strategy to surprise their foes. — JVP, GMA News