Only two teams are left standing without a loss in the PBA Philippine Cup and if they stay unbeaten until their much-awaited showdown at the Araneta Coliseum on Oct. 31, it should be quite a Halloween Sunday thriller.
Sitting proudly on top of the 10-team roost are Talk ‘N’ Text and Alaska with identical 3-0 records. On the way to their duel, the Tropang Texters will face Rain Or Shine today and Powerade on Oct. 27 while the Aces take on Air 21 on Friday and San Miguel Beer on Oct. 27. Assuming they win their next two assignments, Talk ‘N’ Text and Alaska will brandish 5-0 records when they clash – a perfect setting for a battle royale.
It’s still not certain when the Tropa will release Kelly Williams to Smart-Gilas. Williams, Rain Or Shine’s Sol Mercado and Meralco’s Asi Taulava will reinforce the national team at the Asian Games in Guangzhou on Nov. 12-27. But with or without Williams, the Texters look deep enough to stay competitive despite the absence of injured Ranidel de Ocampo.
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Talk ‘N’ Text coach Chot Reyes didn’t bring in a single rookie but reinforced his cast with four veterans, including returnees Ali Peek and Mark Telan. The two other newcomers are Larry Fonacier and Rich Alvarez, both former Ateneo stars. With the league’s new officiating philosophy of letting go incidental or no-harm contact in force, Peek and “bruise buddy” Harvey Carey are at an advantage because of their physicality. No wonder when the Texters beat San Miguel, 97-83, last Oct. 10, Peek and Carey got away with a combined 30 points and 28 rebounds.
Reyes traded away MacMac Cardona and J. R. Quinahan during the offseason and is now looking for more team play than individual explosiveness. He wants ball movement, transition and proactive defense to congest the space for the opposing team’s pick-and-rolls. Last season, Talk ‘N’ Text led the league in offense, averaging 98.9 points, but was only No. 7 in defense. This campaign, Reyes is putting a premium on handcuffing. So far, Talk ‘N’ Text has allowed only 81 points a game – a huge drop from 94.5 last season – but remains up there in offense, hitting at a 92 point clip.
When Reyes wants to put the squeeze on the other team, he sends in any combination of his defensive specialists Alvarez, Mark Yee, Aaron Aban, Peek and Ryan Reyes. When he wants to use quickness in the middle, Peek sits down and Williams and Carey take over. When he wants to speed things up on the floor, Jimmy Alapag and Jason Castro play tag team. When he wants to create a defensive mismatch at the two or three spot, he points to Jared Dillinger. And when he wants to break down a zone, Larry Fonacier gets the call.
Reyes has some pressure on his shoulders because Talk ‘N’ Text failed to crash the finals in two conferences last season. The Tropa finished fifth in the Philippine Cup and third in the Fiesta Conference. But in a vote of confidence from management, Reyes got a three-year contract renewal and is highly-motivated to take the team to the next level. The 3-0 start could be a portent of things to come.
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As for Alaska, coach Tim Cone gave up a quality player in Fonacier for the draft rights to Elmer Espiritu, a gifted rookie who has yet to score his first PBA point after two inconsequential appearances. Fonacier has comfortably slid into his new role as gunner at Talk ‘N’ Text, bagging Best Player honors for scoring 20 points in a 92-84 win over Meralco last Friday, while Espiritu is still groping for form – which is understandable because he’s a rookie and it’s not easy learning Cone’s system. But one thing Espiritu must keep in mind is once he has fit in at Alaska, there will be no turning back.
Alaska is coming off two finals appearances and a championship performance in the Fiesta Conference. The challenge facing Cone is to maintain Alaska’s high standard of play. In the offseason, Cone recruited two University of the East stars, Espiritu and Bonbon Custodio, to join another Warrior, Mark Borboran. Like Reyes, he has the luxury of a deep roster with Sonny Thoss much improved at center, L. A. Tenorio unflappable at point guard, Cyrus Baguio a two-edged threat at shooting guard, Tony de la Cruz at the three-spot and Joe De Vance at power forward. De Vance’s versatility allows him to shift to the wing or even play two-guard, depending on how Cone wants to match up. Down the line are Custodio, Sam Eman, Erwin Sotto, Borboran, Topex Robinson, Mike Burtscher and Reynel Hugnatan.
Like the Tropa, Alaska is getting it done on both ends, giving up only 77 points and scoring 89.3 a game. Three Aces have scored in twin digits in every game so far – De Vance, Tenorio and Thoss. Additionally, De la Cruz and Baguio are averaging in double figures. As a team, Alaska is No. 1 in field goal percentage and No. 1 in least fastbreak points and rebounds allowed.
Cone and Reyes know each other well. Reyes was Cone’s assistant at Alaska from 1990 to 1992. Together, they won the third conference title for Alaska in 1991. Now that Cone and Reyes are in opposing camps, they enjoy a fierce but friendly rivalry. When their teams come up to bat, they battle tooth and nail. In the 2006-07 Fiesta Conference, it took Alaska seven games to nail down the title in a pulsating finals against Talk ‘N’ Text. And in the 2008-09 Philippine Cup, the Tropa also went the distance in disposing of Alaska in the finals.
If Talk ‘N’ Text and Alaska stay spotless until they meet on Oct. 31, then Halloween Sunday will be a celebration for the winner and a nightmare for the loser as only one will be left standing unscathed after the smoke of horror clears.