Can’t get any better

It’s down to just one game for a ticket to the PBA Governors Cup Finals. Defying the odds, Talk ‘N’ Text recovered from a 0-2 deficit to level the Tropa’s best-of-five semifinal duel with San Mig Coffee and the clincher will come in Game 5 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight.

Of 96 best-of-five series played in PBA history, 33 went the full route and only three survived a 0-2 count to win Game 5. There was only a 34 percent chance for the Talk ‘N’ Text-San Mig Coffee series to go the distance but that happened. The probability of the Texters winning tonight is even slimmer, a nine percent chance.

Legendary coach Baby Dalupan, whom Mixers mentor Tim Cone idolizes, did the improbable twice. In the 1975 Third Conference Finals, he piloted Crispa to a 3-2 win over Toyota after trailing 0-2. In the 1990 Third Conference Finals, Dalupan fashioned a second take, this time over Alaska with Cone at the helm in his first title series. Alaska took the first two games, 105-103 and 118-112, then Purefoods stormed back to win three in a row, 117-103, 104-99 in overtime and 99-98. Among Purefoods players were Alvin Patrimonio, Jojo Lastimosa, Nelson Asaytono, Dindo Pumaren and Al Solis. How ironic that San Mig Coffee traces its franchise roots to Purefoods and Cone is now calling the shots for the Mixers, trying to avoid a déjà vu.

Cone won’t ever forget the pain of that loss. Now, 24 years later, Cone is in the throes of suffering the same fate and you can bet he’ll do anything to avert a similar ending. A win over Talk ‘N’ Text preserves Cone’s pursuit of a second Grand Slam and San Mig Coffee’s first. A loss will obliterate the dream.

The third team to do the comeback trick was Barangay Ginebra in the 2010 Philippine Cup quarterfinals. Talk ‘N’ Text went up 2-0 after winning Game 1, 107-92, and Game 2, 106-105. Then, Ginebra came charging back to win three straight, 102-97, 27-20 (by forfeit) and 113-100. The Texters walked out of Game 4 in the first quarter after Ranidel de Ocampo was slapped a flagrant foul. Ginebra coach Jong Uichico now sits on the Tropa’s bench as an assistant in head coach Norman Black’s staff. Will Uichico’s experience of four years ago repeat itself tonight?

San Mig Coffee looked untouchable after racing to a 2-0 lead, beating Talk ‘N’ Text, 92-88, in overtime in Game 1 last June 19 and 93-85 in Game 2 two nights later. In both contests, the Mixers held the Tropa to less than 35 percent shooting from the field, scored more free throws, grabbed more rebounds, compiled more transition points, blocked more shots and punched in more bench points. Cone used 10 players in Game 1 with nine logging at least 17 minutes and only three logging at least 30. Black also used 10 players but four logged at least 30 minutes and only seven at least 17. The numbers showed that Cone distributed the minutes more evenly around the table and his relievers delivered. In Game 1, San Mig Coffee had more bench points, 29-16 and in Game 2, the same, 30-25. Ian Sangalang, Alex Mallari and Justin Melton showed the way for the Mixers’ bench brigade.

Cone started Marqus Blakely, Joe De Vance, James Yap, Mark Barroca and Marc Pingris in Game 1. P. J. Simon sat out the game and Barroca filled in. For Black, his starters were Paul Harris, Ranidel de Ocampo, Jayson Castro, Kelly Williams and Ryan Reyes. In Game 2, Black switched Williams with Noy Baclao while Cone brought back Simon for Barroca.

In Game 3, Black made key adjustments. He started Rob Reyes and Aaron Aban to join De Ocampo, Castro and Harris. Aban’s job was to set the tone defensively on Yap. Reyes’ role was to rebound, protect the interior and box out. Barroca was back as a starter in Simon’s place. Black extended his rotation to the limit and challenged his reserves to step up. He used his second unit to play a 2-3 zone and kept fresh legs on the floor by moving players in and out without upsetting their rhythm. Playing unselfishly, the Texters collected 30 assists and shot 50.6 percent from the floor to win comfortably, 112-86.  For the first time in the series, Talk ‘N’ Text won the battle of the boards, 50-48.

Action was intense in Game 4 as San Mig Coffee was determined to close out the series last Wednesday. Black kept his Game 3 starters while Cone reinstated Simon for Barroca. Cone deployed only nine players, relying on his nucleus, and didn’t even check in Melton. Mallari played only a minute and Sangalang was scoreless in 15 minutes. Six Mixers logged at least 30 minutes, eight at least 14 and three at least 42, indicating a short rotation. In contrast, Black continued to go to his bench, using 15 players with only two logging at least 30 minutes. That worked to the Tropa’s advantage because the war of attrition extended to overtime. Yap sizzled for 23 points, including a clutch one-hander at the buzzer to send it into extension, but was blanked in extra time. De Vance was also silent in the overtime.

The Texters outrebounded the Mixers, 61-53 and had more fastbreak points, 15-6, more second chance points, 14-10, more bench points, 36-13 and more free throws, 15-3. The Tropa committed only eight errors to San Mig Coffee’s 14. In the last two games, the Texters have been more careful in preserving their possessions, averaging only 8.5 miscues to the Mixers’ 12.5. It boiled down to a possession match.  Because the Texters had more rebounds and less turnovers, they gained more possessions which led to more field attempts, 93-82. That volume advantage negated the Texters’ poor 32.3 percent shooting from the floor.

San Mig Coffee is a crown jewel away from capturing a Grand Slam this season and Talk ‘N’ Text is out to spoil the party. Game 5 is a test of character for both clubs. Cone won’t want to relive the nightmare of 1990 while Black is out to repay San Mig Coffee for derailing the Texters in the playoffs the last two conferences.  It’s do-or-die for Cone and Black. For PBA fans, it’s a dream treat as no game can be more exciting than a winner-take-all showdown.