PHIL CUP FINALISTS RETURN TO DO BATTLE
The landscape was entirely different the last time these two teams met.
Talk n Text then completed a mighty four-game sweep of Rain or Shine to make history as the first team in a long, long while to win the PBA all-Filipino championship three in a row.
Forward to present, the Elasto Painters are on a fluid run with prized reinforcement Bruno Sundov while the Tropang Texters are still looking to rediscover old chemistry with returning import Donnell Harvey.
The E-Painters seek a share of tournament leadership while the Texters are out to improve their stock in the middle of the chart as they clash Wednesday in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“It will be a tough challenge for us because they haven’t missed a beat since last conference while we have been struggling,” said Talk n Text coach Norman Black.
“We will just try to take another step to catch up with the leaders. The key for us is to have good transition and three-point defense especially after their post-ups for their import,” Black added.
The E-Painters have not lost a game since barely dropping their conference debut against Alaska on endgame lapses.
They have a chance to tie the Aces on top at 6-1 at the halfway point of the elimination round.
Talk n Text, meanwhile, hopes to breach the .500 mark with a 4-3 slate.
Rabeh Al-Hussaini played his best game in a Talk n Text jersey, topscoring with 19 points while Jayson Castro struck at the right time as the Tropang Texters snapped a two-game losing skein with a 101-98 decision over the Barako Bull Energy Cola in Legazpi, Albay Saturday.
Larry Fonacier, Jimmy Alapag and Ranidel de Ocampo also provided push as the Texters overcame Harvey’s struggling performance in his return to the TnT fold.
Harvey, the Talk n Text reinforcement who helped the team to a runner-up finish in this tourney last year, huffed, puffed and battled cramps at the finish, winding up with only eight points.
The returning import, however, is expected to fare better Wednesday, having been in the country for six days already.
But he may need all the help he can get from his teammates in his faceoff with the 7-foot-3 Rain or Shine import. (SB)
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