Petron aims to wrap up Govs Cup title series

Petron, playing minus four of its key players, was supposed to be an easy opponent for a Talk 'N Text crew that's aiming to put the final touches to what had been a great Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) season. But just look where the Blaze Boosters are now. Buoyed by back-to-back lopsided wins, the undermanned and underdog team in the season-ending Governors Cup best-of-seven finals series shoots for the championship when it battles the back-to-the-wall Talk 'N Text side in Friday night's Game 6 at the Araneta Coliseum. The Boosters had won the last two games with an average winning margin of 17.5 points, including Wednesday's Game 5, 93-80, that gave them a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven title series. Coach Ato Agustin is more than determined to finally end it all and register perhaps one of the most stunning upsets in the league's 36-year history. "We're go all out to finish it," he said. "I just hope that we play with the same aggressiveness and the same defensive mind-set on Friday. This is an opportunity we must grab." Another victory by Petron—playing minus injured players Jay Washington, Joseph Yeo, Lordy Tugade and Rookie of the Year Rabeh Al-Hussaini—will make Agustin the first rookie coach to steer his team to a championship since Joel Banal did the trick with Talk 'N Text during the 2003 Philippine Cup. And a loss by the Tropang Texters would make them the seventh team in PBA history—Toyota (1975), Crispa (1977), Great Taste (1985), Tanduay (1986), Sunkist (1995) and Alaska (1998) —which failed to complete a rare Grand Slam in a single season after winning the All Filipino Conference and Commissioner's Cup. Texters to parade new import The Tropang Texter,s however, are not about to throw in the towel as they try to revive their shot at history when they recalled original import choice Maurice Baker to replace the ineffective Scottie Reynolds. Reynolds was a combined 5-of-27 in the last two games of the series for a total of 17 points, including a paltry five markers in Talk 'N Text’s 13-point Game 5 loss. Petron's Anthony Grundy obviously got the better end of the match up with an all-around performance of 26 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in the Blaze Boosters' win Wednesdaynight. "Their import (Anthony Grundy) is playing fantastic, while our import sucks. That's really a big difference," said Talk 'N Text coach Chot Reyes. Baker last suited up for the telecommunication franchise on July 17, finishing with 10 points and two rebounds in the Tropang Texters' 145-116 blowout win of the Air21 Express. Another big blow to Talk 'N Text's cause is the continued absence of leading scorer Jayson Castro. The spitfire point guard failed to see action the last time due to an MCL (medial collateral ligament) injury. A Petron stunner would be one of the greatest upsets in league history alongside the 1980 U-tex victory over Toyota, the 1990 Allan Caidic-less Presto's triumph over Alvin Patrimonio, Jojo Lastimosa and the rest of Purefoods, and the 1999 Shell win over Tanduay. "Our backs are against the wall," Reyes said. "Hopefully we could fight (Friday night) as if our lives depended on it." — JVP, GMA News