Playing a lot tougher and certainly smarter, the Gin Kings on Friday night levelled their best-of-seven title series for the PBA Commissioner’s Cup with powerhouse Talk ’N Text at 1-all after a 108-106 victory brought about by a lot of hard work at the Cuneta Astrodome.

John Wilson, a frail-bodied rookie, hit the go-ahead three-point play and then Mike Cortez four clutch free throws as the Kings, after getting blown off the court in the second half last Wednesday, wrested the mental edge heading into Sunday’s critical third game in Puerto Princesa City.

“It would have been hard to be down 0-2 against a team like Talk ’N Text, which pounds you every single game, every single play,” Ginebra coach Jong Uichico, seeking a first championship in three years for the franchise, said.

“This is a great win for us and we have to be ready (for Game 3),” he added. “They will keep on pounding us on both ends of the floor.” Game 2 was practically the same as the series opener as far as the first half was concerned, with the Texters able to start off strong and build a commanding lead early and Ginebra coming back to take the halftime lead.

In fact, the first two quarters ended with exactly the same score as Wednesday’s game, 47-46 in favor of Ginebra.

And just when the Talk ’N Text faithful awaited another second half breakaway, the Kings held their ground and fought the taller, heftier and more athletic Tropang Texters toe-to-toe, unlike in Game 1 where Ginebra seemingly just folded up.

Wilson went on to finish with 16 points, the most by any Ginebra local, while also helping put the cuffs on prolific Talk ‘N Text import Paul Harris.

It was Harris’ sixth and final foul that sent Wilson to the charity stripe for the defining three-point play of the night, a completion that shattered a 101-all tie, before Cortez hit those four straight freebies for a 108-101 Ginebra lead.

Talk ’N Text, though, wasn’t finished there.

The Texters tried giving Ginebra a dose of its own come-from-behind medicine, as Ranidel de Ocampo hit a three-pointer and Larry Fonacier a layup that made it what it was in the end.

Talk ’N Text actually had 20.8 seconds more on the clock after that Fonacier basket and got the ball back after sending Willie Miller to the charity line for two free throws off Ryan Reyes’ final foul.

But being cold off the bench, Miller shot the first free throw short and had the second rimming out to give Talk ’N Text a final chance at tying the game or even winning it outright with a three-pointer with still 18.3 seconds left.

After burning their last timeout, the Texters got the ball at the hands of Jimmy Alapag, who milked the clock and threw up a three-point shot that did not even come close to going in.

It was one of 10 Alapag misses from beyond three-point range that had coach Chot Reyes identifying his point guard, as well as Harris, as the missing links to why the Texters failed to score a follow-up of a brilliant 102-83 Game 1 win.

“Ginebra beat us. They simply outworked us,” Reyes told reporters later. “We have to find Jimmy in the series. He is nowhere to be found. He made three big mistakes down the stretch, and one of them was that three-point shot. Jimmy could have searched for another option.

“But we have lived and died by that shot in the past,” Reyes added. “We didn’t quit, and for me that’s a good sign for us.” Nate Brumfield woke up from a Game 1 stupor to fire 27 points and snare 15 rebounds, issue eight assists and chalk up three steals for the Kings with Eric Menk stepping up big with 15 markers.

Harris still went on to lead the Texters with 24 points and eight rebounds, but his night-high seven turnovers did not escape the attention of Reyes.

“We made four crucial turnovers in the stretch and lost by two points,” Reyes said. “Paul (Harris) had seven for the game. Had we just cut down those errors, we could have won the game.”