MANILA, Philippines -- "It's not acceptable."
Jimmy Alapag couldn't accept the way Talk n Text Tropang Texters got walloped last night, 122-88, at the hands of their rival Petron Blaze Boosters.
"That type of game, that type of effort is just unacceptable for our team," said Alapag to a couple of reporters last night. "We're a championship team."
The loss was their worst since the Powerade Tigers (now GlobalPort Batang Pier) dealt them a 131-96 rout in the 2011-12 Philippine Cup.
Talk n Text recovered and went on to win the title, curiously, against the same Powerade team.
But the situation now is a lot different.
The Tropang Texters barely survived their conference debut without their four Gilas players.
Since then, they have only won once in their next four games including back-to-back losses since Alapag returned from his short vacation trip in United States.
"Honestly, our team is in tough situation. We're just trying to find our groove after such a short break. But at the end of the day, there's no excuses," Alapag told Philstar.com.
"Life goes on, the PBA season goes on. We just have to find a way to fight through it."
Alapag and the Tropang Texters are in a situation they've never faced in the past four seasons. With only three games (Air21, Rain or Shine and Ginebra) left in their schedule, their backs are against the wall to avoid an early vacation.
"Given the short format, going to Friday's game, it's a must win," Alapag said. "We just have to find a way to regroup, refocus and give a much better effort on Friday."