PBA: Down 0-2, Jireh Ibanes wants a shot at stopping Jayson Castro

Reigning Defensive Player of the Year Jireh Ibañes was one of the biggest factors why the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters are in the Philippine Cup Finals. His exceptional defense on James Yap contributed to the superstar's scoring woes throughout their semifinal series.

Now though, down 0-2 against the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters, Ibañes wants a shot at containing their lead guard, and Best Player of the Conference candidate, Jayson Castro.

"Ang hirap kasi sa Talk 'n Text, para silang kami," he said. "Hindi ka pwedeng mag-concentrate sa isang player lang."

[Related: Shooting still the problem for Rain or Shine - Guiao]

All of the Tropang Texters who were fielded in for more than 10 minutes in the game managed to score, which shows just how balanced the team is. Ranidel de Ocampo and Castro did the most damage scoring 24 and 21 points.

"Kila Castro at Jimmy Alapag pa rin umiikot yung opensa ng Talk 'N Text," said the former UP Maroon. "Hindi ko alam kung anong adjustments ang gagawin ni coach Yeng [Guiao] pero ako gusto ko sanang bantayan si Castro."

In Game 2 of their best of seven series, Ibañes only played 18 minutes, scoring two points and grabbing four rebounds. Although he struggled from the field, he was more worried about their effort on defense. "Defensive team kami at naniniwala talaga akong basta maganda yung depensa namin, susunod yung opensa."

Picked 11th in the 2006 PBA Draft, Ibañes is already the most senior member of the team.

"Kailangan kong tulungan yung mga kakampi ko to gain back their confidence," Ibañes said. "Kailangan ko silang i-remind about the system that coach Yeng sold to us from the very first day of practice."

Game 3 of their series is a must-win game for the Elasto Painters. No PBA team has won after facing a 0-3 deficit.  Ibañes knows that they need to adjust for them to win against the Tropang Texters:

"Di ko nga maintindihan e," Ibañes admitted. "Halos panalo kami sa mga statistics pero di lumilitaw sa score," he added. "Ito na siguro yung sinasabi nila na as underdogs, kailangan na lang naming paraanan."

And for him, one way is to contain Castro, a task that he is more than willing to take on. - RAF/AMD, GMA News