MANILA: The series that would have been a fitting one for the championship has suddenly become one-sided.
Playing brilliantly again in the endgame, Talk ’N Text on Wednesday night rallied from 10 points down in the final frame to hammer out a 106-103 decision of San Miguel for a commanding 3-1 lead in their Philippine Cup semifinal series at the Cuneta Astrodome.
Jimmy Alapag and Mac Cardona took turns in burying the Beermen in the stretch, combining for 26 points in the fourth period as the Tropang Texters finished the game with a flurry to move within another victory of advancing to the championship.
The duo actually saved the Texters from a huge collapse after Talk ’N Text, thanks to rookie Jared Dillinger, erected several 18-point leads in the first half before lagging behind, 77-87 with just under 11 minutes left in the contest.
Dillinger, the second overall selection in the Draft, finished with a career-high 27 points, 18 of them in the first quarter where he kick-started the Talk ‘N Text offense and had the Texters scampering to several imposing leads.
It was the second straight victory in the series for the Texters, who blew the Beermen off the floor in the opener, 129-100, before losing Game 2. Both squads, incidentally, have scored 100 or more points in each game thus far.
Also putting a foot in the best-of-seven title series was Alaska, which almost blew a 26-point lead and had to gut out an 88-83 decision of defending champions Sta. Lucia for a similar 3-1 lead in the second game.
Talk ’N Text, whose last and only championship came in this tournament in 2003, could win its first series against San Miguel with another victory tomorrow, and the Texters would then move to just their seventh title series appearance in history. Alapag was scoreless the entire first half, had just two points in the third, but went on to finish with 18 points, his two free throws off Danny Seigle with 2:09 left giving the Texters a 100-94 lead.
And after Seigle countered with two freebies of his own in the next San Miguel play, Cardona then scored the next five Talk ‘N Text points, includi™ng a long teardrop with 1:30 to play that beat the shotclock and demoralized the Beermen.
“Just like in Game 3, we thought we already won it and they came back,” Talk ’N Text coach Chot Reyes told reporters later. “We stayed with them (Beermen) until the end and that was the key because we got a shot at winning it in the end.” The loss pushed the Beermen to the wall and from all indications, the series that started out with the promise of going all the way to a deciding seventh game could end earlier, a lot earlier, than most predicted. “Of course, we will go for it (in Game 5 tomorrow),” Reyes said. “You can’t give such a strong team like San Miguel a chance to come back. If we get the chance to close it (the series), we will.”
And while offense has been the premium in the San Miguel-Talk ‘N Text series, defense again played a major role in Alaska’s victory.
The Aces held down Bitoy Omolon to just nine points and Kelly Williams to just 16 for last night to scamper away with the win and move within another victory of gaining a finals appearance for the 22nd time.
That moved Alaska within another win of avenging its loss in this same stage of this same tournament last season, when the Realtors eventually mowed down Purefoods in the finals to win their first all-Filipino crown.
Willie Miller scored 20 points, had four rebounds and four assists to lead the Aces, who took a 31-17 first quarter lead before bloating this to 26. Alaska, though, encountered rough sailing in the stretch by playing not to lose and almost paid for it.
Sta. Lucia came to within four points inside the final two minutes but just couldn’t buy buckets when it needed to.
Joseph Yeo scored 24 points to pace the Realtors, who will be playing their first do-or-die game of the season tomorrow also at the Cuneta Astrodome.
