TEXTERS AIM TO REBOUND VS. 3RD WIN-SEEKING ENERGY
BARAKO Bull coach Koy Banal is most wary of a team coming off a loss, especially if that team is as power-laden as Talk N Text.
It is no wonder then why Banal wants his Energy to be more than on their toes when they clash with the Tropang Texters Sunday in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Alonte Sports Arena in Biñan, Laguna.
Barako is looking for a third straight win and a fitting follow-up to its 85-78 upset of erstwhile unbeaten Alaska last Wednesday while TNT is out to bounce back from a shock 97-105 loss to GlobalPort last Tuesday.
That’s precisely what gnaws at Banal.
“Talk N Text is very capable of playing an almost perfect game day in and day out, especially coming off a loss,” said Banal.
“They will be ready to make a kill if their opponent will come to the game unprepared. Again, we just want to hang in there and try to be in our usual self.”
In fact, Banal and his staff have already tuned in on the Texters even right after the Aces game. “It’s a different story on Sunday,” he said then.
He even went as far as comparing TNT’s projected attitude to that of another pre-tourney favorite, Rain or Shine. The Elasto Painters bounced back from a 21-point drubbing to TNT by walloping Barako by 28 in their very next game.
“Natalo ang Talk N Text kaya they’ll come out strong on Sunday. Like Rain or Shine, tinalo ng Talk N Text. Pagdating sa amin tinalo kami, tambak kami.”
It is undeniable that TNT would surely want to rebound big-time, not only to catch Barangay Ginebra at fifth-running spot but also to keep alive its hopes of clinching a top two slot at the end of the 11-game eliminations and nail an automatic semifinals berth that goes with the finish.
But first, some emphasis on defense, especially on the perimeter, is in order for the Texters, who allowed the Batang Pier to shoot 15-for-28 from rainbow country to the chagrin of coach Jong Uichico.
“They shot the lights out sa three points,” said Uichico after the GlobalPort game. “We know that they’re a perimeter team and we shouldn’t have given those shots to them.”
Barako is not as good a sniping team as GlobalPort, but could still do some damage from beyond the arc in Mick Pennisi, Denok Miranda, RR Garcia and JC Intal.
Against Alaska, the Energy also showed they could play some pressure defense of their own by holding the Aces to 30-for-76 field shooting and harassing them into committing 20 turnovers.
Scoring has never been a problem for a TNT crew that has the likes of Jayson Castro, Ranidel de Ocampo, Larry Fonacier, Jay Washington and Kevin Alas, not to mention the revitalized Harvey Carey, who poured in 24 points to go with 10 rebounds against GlobalPort.
“Sana maka-tsamba ulit, pero galling sa talo ang TNT,” mused Banal. (NC)
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
