Cardona, Texters console coach with 3rd place trophy

Talk ‘N Text consoled itself with a third place finish in the PBA Fiesta Cup as it whipped B-Meg Derby Ace, 113-95, in their lone battle for third on Friday at the Araneta Coliseum. Still, it was not enough for coach Chot Reyes to say a mouthful about how the Tropang Texters blew up what was supposed to be a dream conference for the telecommunication franchise. “These are the worst games to play," said Reyes in the post-game interview inside the Big Dome’s press room. “I don’t even understand why we play for third place. It’s a stupid game. Let’s face it, nobody comes out and plays hard in these games. We should do away with these games. I’m happy we won, but my feelings don’t change," Reyes said. The public outburst came 48 hours after the Tropang Texters’ season came to an abrupt end, crushed by Alaska’s 91-80 win in their sudden-death game for a Finals berth in the season-ending tournament opposite San Miguel. The Tropang Texters emerged the top seed in the eliminations after finishing with a conference-best 15-3 card, capped by a franchise record 13-game winning streak. But all that vanished into thin air, no thanks to the handiwork of the Aces, whom Reyes said outworked and outcoached the Tropang Texters. “It’s a disappointing finish for our team," Reyes admitted. “I’m disappointed that Tim Cone outcoached me. That was my first Game Seven loss and ranks as one of my painful losses. Alaska outworked us. This year absolutely sucked. This finish was the best testament." Talk ‘N Text also had a disappointing finish in the Philippine Cup, after being booted out by Barangay Ginebra in the quarterfinals after blowing a 2-0 series lead marred by a Game Four walkout. “In the All-Filipino, we had three chances to move forward. In this conference, we had two chances to move forward. So now we rest, recharge, evaluate and hope the next season is a better season for us," Reyes said. This marked only the second time Talk ‘N Text finished third, the first of which came in the 2006-07 season when it scored a 124-111 win over Red Bull in the Philippine Cup. Mac-Mac Cardona ended his offensive slump, finishing with a personal conference-high 30 points leading the Texters’ scoring. Harvey Carey had a double-double of 24 points and 13 rebounds also for TNT, which scored on 23 fastbreak points and shot 43-of-81 from the field for a 53.1 percent clip. KG Canaleta led Derby Ace, which lost to San Miguel in the semi-finals (4-2), with 21 points. – JVP, GMANews.TV