SEMIS OR BUST
And the battle between three-time all-Filipino ruler Talk n Text and Governors’ Cup titlist San Mig Super Coffee boils down to one final game.
The Tropang Texters fight for their “four-peat” drive while the Mixers stake their back-to-back championship aspirations as they square off in the deciding Game Three of their PLDT myDSL PBA Philippine Cup best-of-three quarterfinals showdown at the Cuneta Astrodome Sunday.
Forget the X’s and O’s as this sudden death is now more about desire and determination.
Both are proven champion teams. One of them can beat another in any given night.
So it’s really a test of wills more than anything else as the Texters and the Mixers slug it out one more time in a KO match beginning at 5 p.m.
Talk n Text halted San Mig Coffee’s five-game streak and the Texters lived to fight another game as they tripped the Mixers, 82-77, in Game Two Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
“We’re not going to beat San Mig Coffee if we do not play good defense,” said Talk n Text coach Norman Black, believing defense played a big part as they avenged their 83-90 loss to the Mixers in Game One Tuesday.
“We can play a lot better. We just hope we have enough time to jell a little bit,” Black also said.
KG Canaleta, in his second game as a Texter, fired clutch treys and finished with 13 points while Kelly Williams, barely back from the injured list, put in eight markers that went with a lot of intangibles he delivered in an emotion-filled performance Friday
Jayson Castro stood out with a brilliant game throughout the match.
The FIBA Asia best guard teamed up with Canaleta to give Talk n Text a good start and later joined forces with Ryan Reyes to deliver the finishing kick that foiled San Mig’s attempt to close out the series.
PJ Simon had his own superb show in Game One as the Mixers stoked the fire of their four-game closing romp in the elims and pushed the Texters to the ropes.
The Mixers, however, ran into the Texters’ stonewall defense in Game Two.
The series has become a war of attrition, and the opposing teams are likely to engage in a gung-ho battle in the deciding match. (SB)
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