MANILA: For someone who just won a game, Talk ‘N Text coach Chot Reyes certainly didn’t sound happy.
“It’s hard to enjoy winning because we know we will be playing in the wildcard anyway,” Reyes said, moments after a tightrope 105-103 victory over Red Bull, a Smart Fiesta Cup win that meant little to the Phone Pals but could prove galling for the Barako.Terrence Leather, after being fined P5,000 for an outburst in their last game, scored the marginal basket with 2.8 seconds left as Talk ‘N Text closed out with a 9-9 card and is looking at that loss to Barangay Ginebra as its most crucial.
Leather, or his absence because of fouls in the stretch on Sunday, made up for this by capping a PBA-career high 49-point explosion with that winning basket as the Phone Pals stymied Red Bull’s advance to the semifinals outright. Red Bull will have its final shot at joining idle Air21 in the Final Four when it clashes with a dispirited Sta. Lucia crew at the Cuneta Astrodome tomorrow. The loss put Red Bull at 10-7 and a win would close the door on a number of teams. As things stand, the Barako can end the wait with a victory over the Realtors, while a loss could necessitate a four-team playoff for the second automatic semifinal slot among Magnolia, the Barako, Coca-Cola or either of the Gin Kings or Alaska. Ginebra stayed alive in that race by ripping Welcoat to smithereens, 111-96, in the first game at the Araneta Coliseum. Mark Caguioa came off the bench to shoot 26 points and Chris Alexander had 20.
points and 16 rebounds as Ginebra improved to 9-8 and with a shot at gaining a shot at that potential four-team playoff.
Up next for the Kings are the defending champion Aces, who are also at 9-8 at the moment. Their game is also scheduled tomorrow.
Red Bull actually saw a rally from several double-digit deficits fall short, as Celino Cruz barely missed turning the game around with his three-pointer at the buzzer falling just a tad short.
The play before on the other end saw Leather take it to 7-foot Red Bull import Adam Parada, whom he deftly eluded for a jumper that proved to be the marginal basket.
Leather, the former South Florida standout in the US NCAA, was focused right from the start, shooting 19 of his total in the first period which the Phone Pals closed out with a 12-point bubble.
It took Red Bull until the third quarter to gather its wits and finally make a game out of it, coming withn 79-81 at the end of the third behind a torrid clip from the field to set up the spine-tingling fourth quarter.
Caguioa, the No.1 scorer among locals, converted 10-of-19 shots from the field and 4-of-6 from the foul line in a solid show of offensive brilliance that makes him a marked man come the playoffs.
The Ginebra backcourt contributed heavily, with Ronald Tubid scattering 24 points and ace playmaker Jay-Jay Helterbrand shooting 18 to go with six rebounds and eight assists.
The Dragons, who missed the playoffs for the fourth straight tournament in their young PBA existence, were actually ahead a halftime, 56-53. Welcoat was in the game for the last time at 75-all with 3:09 left in the third quarter before Caguioa completed a there-point play that touched off a 10-2 run that ushered the Kings to 85-77 advantage entering the final frame.
And Ginebra would never be threatened the rest of the way.
“Sinabi ko naman sa kanila a few days back na hindi naman ibibigay ng Welcoat and laro maski out na sila, they want to play the spoiler’s role,” Ginebra coach Jong Uichico said.
The Dragons, who got 27 points and 13 boards from Maquis Gainous, finished the conference with a 4-14 card, and their 7-29 record this season tied their finish in their maiden campaign last season.
