MANILA, 16 July 2003 — Talk ‘N’ Text pulled off its mission improbable by beating defending champions Coca-Cola 78-76 to cop the Samsung PBA All-Filipino Cup championship at the Astrodome.
And the Phone Pals did it despite missing four crucial free throws in the last 33 seconds, including two by Asi Taulava that gave the Tigers a chance to tie the game.
With the win, Talk ‘N’ Text ended the race-to-four affair at 4-2, becoming just the third team in league history to win a best-of-seven series after trailing 0-2.
Coach Joel Banal and his charges stood victorious, wrapping up the best-of-seven series at 4-2, their first franchise trophy firmly in their grasp and team owner Manny V. Pangilinan, whose birthday is today, given a very special gift.
The win was also for the coach whose faith in his team never wavered, never mind the adversity they had to face.
Bong Ravena, a grizzled veteran, came up with his best performance since being named best rookie 12 years ago and a prized center refused to be stifled.
Taulava made 22 of his 25 points in the last three quarters, including 17 in the third period when Talk ‘N’ Text came charging back for good from a 54-40 deficit.
“Everybody played great. We fought every minute, every second of this game and we believed in each other,” said Taulava, the tournament’s best player awardee who added an additional feather to his cap by being voted Finals MVP by the PBA Press Corps.
Foremost in his mind must be Ravena, who led the Phone Pals in the decisive fourth period, making nine of his 15 points capped by a triple that enabled the team to tie it for the sixth and last time at 71, still 1:51 left.
Ravena’s defensive rebound and charity made it a 78-75 spread, heading into the last 10 seconds.
Coca-Cola had two chances to knot the count, but Ato Morano was not the same man who played so brilliant in last year’s finals. Morano launched an ill-advised triple try that proved too strong and Ravena came up with his rebound and charity off Poch Juinio.With only 1.4 ticks remaining, Morano went to the stripe, needing to sink the first free throw and miss the second in the hopes of the Tigers snaring the offensive rebound for a follow-up try.
He indeed made the first charity, but his second try completely missed the hoop and the whole Talk ‘N’ Text team, their fans and supporters erupted into wild celebration.
Coca-Cola made Taulava work extra on defense by having Raffi Reavis, Rudy Hatfield and Juinio often driving hard for the basket.
Reyes also fielded in Cris Bolado as early as the first quarter to offer the 6-foot-10 man mountain continued different looks.
Repeatedly frustrated, Taulava was held to only a field goal and a total three points in the first half, leaving Ravena and Jimmy Alapag to carry most of Talk ‘N’ Text’s offensive load.
But it was Johnny Abarrientos and Hatfield who shone the most for the Tigers in the offensive end in the first 24 minutes of play.
Abarrientos completely outshone Alapag, Patrick Fran and Donbel Belano by scattering 13 points in the first half alone, including three triples that loosened things up a bit for Juinio and Reavis inside.
Hatfield also spiked his defensive work on Taulava by making 11 of his points in the first half, enabling the Tigers to race to three 14-point leads.
With Alapag scoring seven points in the second period, the Phone Pals closed in at 20-26. But their turnovers caused their protracted charges to fall short.
