The scariest foe might be the one with nothing to lose, which is exactly what the Petron Blaze Boosters are, entering Wednesday’s game against the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters, at the Araneta Coliseum, in the final elimination round game of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup. Win or lose, the Boosters are out of the running for a post-season berth, but they can still make an impact on the standings if they dispatch the Texters. In Petron’s dream scenario, they would defeat TNT after watching the Barangay Ginebra Kings deal with the Air21 Express, sending the two teams into a playoff for the automatic trip to the semi-finals, adding one more game to Talk ‘N Text’s stack, and potentially doing away with their first-round bye.
| Petron Blaze (3-5) | Averages | Talk ‘N Text (6-2) |
|---|
| 89.63 | Points | 101.13 |
| 25.00% | Three-point percentage | 34.67% |
| 82.50 | Field goals attempted | 92.00 |
| 13.25 | Offensive rebounds | 18.13 |
| 46.25 | Rebounds | 55.38 |
| 6.00 | Blocks | 4.50 |
| 12.25 | Turnovers | 11.00 |
| 68.50 - 21.13 | Starter-bench scoring | 56.50 - 44.63 |
| 92.75 | Points allowed | 95.75 |
| 31.67% | Three-point percentage allowed | 26.00% |
| 14.13 | Fast break points allowed | 9.38 |
As of March 26, 2012 The hard-luck Petron Blaze squad has seen their numbers drop from last season, and they definitely pale in comparison to what the Talk ‘N Text team puts up. Save for the blocks category, TNT simply looks mightier. Part of it is because the Tropang Texters play at a faster pace, averaging around four more possessions than Petron, but the defending champs do that while playing better defense, and still not turning the ball over as much, 1.25 times less to be exact. That means if Petron will be going for the upset, they’ll need to play an incredibly efficient game, especially on the perimeter, both on offense and defense, where they lag considerably against their opponents. Slowing down Talk ‘N Text should also be in their game plan, as well as getting more out of their bench, which is second-to-last in terms of production. On the other hand, Talk ‘N Text just needs to play their game, and not go off the rails. With depth firmly on their side, they should manage to overwhelm the Petron defense, barring anything catastrophic, like their inability to hit from outside in their upset loss to Air21.
Import Match-Up | Averages | Will McDonald (Petron) | Donnell Harvey (Talk ‘N Text) |
| Games played | 1 | 5 |
| Minutes | 13.00 | 39.80 |
| Points | 7.00 | 21.20 |
| Field goal attempts | 6.00 | 16.00 |
| Free throw attempts | 2.00 | 7.40 |
| Rebounds | 5.00 | 20.20 |
| Assists | 0.00 | 2.00 |
| Fouls | 3.00 | 3.80 |
| Turnovers | 3.00 | 3.40 |
The last time going in to a Petron game, Will McDonald stood out as a big enigma, after replacing scoring machine Nick Fazekas. One game after his debut, there’s still not a lot we know about him, after he got ejected for his part in Mick Pennisi’s now-infamous flop act, versus the Barako Bull Energy. One key thing to track during the game would be his turnovers. He had three in 13 minutes, which could be attributed to his lack of familiarity with his teammates. But if he’s simply a turnover machine, expect the Texters to exploit that to the hilt. For Donnell Harvey, it’s about finally getting accustomed to the squad he joined five games ago, after TNT lost Omar Samhan to an ACL-injury, and one game with an All-Filipino line-up. Versus Rain or Shine, Harvey had a tournament-best 32 points in just 34 minutes, while shooting 61.90 percent from the field and pulling down 16 rebounds. If this is the norm for Harvey once he’s found his comfort level, and not a one-game fluke versus the cellar dwelling Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, then the Texters become that much more deadly.
Blaze blasted | AVERAGE | Three-game win streak | Three-game loss streak |
|---|
| Points | 98.67 | 85.33 |
| Three-point percentage | 34.69% | 19.70% |
| Field goal percentage | 45.76% | 41.22% |
| Points allowed | 89.33 | 95.00 |
| Field goal percentage allowed | 41.95% | 43.21% |
| Rebounds allowed | 46.67 | 53.33 |
| Fast break points allowed | 10.00 | 17.00 |
Call them streaky, because the description fits the Blaze Boosters. After a two-game losing streak to start the Commissioner’s Cup, Petron put together a three-game win streak to vault back into contention, before giving it back with a three-game slide. A look at the numbers shows how it happened. From averaging nearly 100 points per game, Petron sank back to 85, with their three-point shooting taking a tumble of nearly 15 percentage points. Similarly, a solid defense went sour, allowing a little over six more points, most coming off opponents’ fast breaks, and 6.66 more rebounds.
Century warriors | | In wins | In losses |
|---|
| Points | 106.67 | 84.50 |
| Three-pointers made | 10.83 | 6.50 |
| Fast break points | 14.17 | 6.5 |
| Turnover points | 15.33 | 11.00 |
The more, the merrier for Talk ‘N Text, especially when it comes to putting points on the scoreboard. The Tropang Texters’ two losses hold a common thread: the team wasn’t able to crack the 100-point mark, even in their loss to Ginebra that went into overtime. Where do those extra points come from? From long range and in transition, when the Texters are able to get out and run, or off opponents’ miscues. But a disciplined team can eliminate those factors, and leave TNT to score in a more traditional, half-court way, which would make things much difficult for the defending champions.
X-Factors Backcourt Boosters | Versus Barako Bull | Minutes | Points | Rebs | Assists |
|---|
| Alex Cabagnot | 38 | 17 | 7 | 3 |
| Joseph Yeo | 34 | 11 | 6 | 7 |
With Chris Lutz out, Danny Ildefonso limited, and Arwind Santos erratic, it’s been the backcourt of Alex Cabagnot and Joseph Yeo carrying the Boosters, as was seen in their last game, a huge upset to the Barako Bull Energy. Making things more difficult in this game though, is the fact that Talk ‘N Text has a horde of guards they can throw at the duo to make their life difficult. It’ll be up to Yeo and Cabagnot to rise above the tide and this time provide the upset.
Risky Reyes | | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals |
|---|
| Commissioner’s Cup | 22.67 | 3.00 | 4.17 | 1.00 | 1.17 |
| All-Filipino Cup | 26.00 | 11.00 | 3.79 | 2.32 | 1.79 |
Ryan Reyes missed the first two games of the Commissioner’s Cup, but his offense has yet to return along with him, save for some game-clinching triples in overtime against the Barako Bull Energy. His scoring and his assists have dropped precipitously, and because this win could clinch a first-round bye, it’s possible he’ll need to be spectacular or risk getting sat down early in favor of other guys like Jayson Castro or Larry Fonacier.
- KBK, GMA News 
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