MANILA, 21 January 2006 — For Talk ‘N Text coach Joel Banal, the simplest way to play a team that is playing without pressure is to pressure them.
Banal’s Phone Pals came out smoking and finished with a florish in a 99-89 Game 4 victory over Air21 last night that forged a rubber match for the last semifinal seat in the PBA Fiesta Conference. “We knew that they (Express) were going to play without pressure, being 2-1 up,” Banal said. “That’s why I told the boys that we had to put pressure on them and even matters up somewhat for us.” Center Asi Taulava notched the first “20-20” by a local in this tournament, leading the Phone Pals with 22 points and 21 boards as Talk ‘N Text dodged elimination with the win and will gun for a Final Four ticket today.
Talk ‘N Text started the first and third periods hot and it took 18 unanswered points after the halftime break to build a 22-point lead at 65-43 with 5:15 left which it effectively used to cushion a determined Express comeback.
The winner of this series will face classification round topnotcher Purefoods in a best-of-seven series for a seat in the title series.
Barangay Ginebra and Red Bull are the protagonists in the other bracket.
Starting point guard Jimmy Alapag contributed 17 points and three assists and Victor Pablo had a coming out game in this series with 15 markers, seven of them in the fourth period when Air21 mounted a dogged rally.
Pablo was averaging just 2.7 points in three games and got the call to start even as a total of six Phone Pals, the entire starting unit included, scored 11 or more.
“It just goes to show that we’re not ready to take a break yet,” Taulava said. “We want to play the whole year if given the chance. The team is just not ready to give in to an early vacation.” Ren-Ren Ritualo scored 10 of his 27 points in the final frame and almost single-handedly boosted the Express to within five points inside the final three minutes.
But that was the closest that Air21 could get as Pablo and Alapag hit timely baskets that gave control back to Talk ‘N Text. Ranidel De Ocampo was the only other Express in double digits with 16 as import Shawn Daniels struggled with only seven points, four in the first half and a big fat egg in the fourth period.
Air21 is looking to make a tournament semifinal for the first time in franchise history and this current batch of Express will be facing elimination for the second time in just over a week. The Express, who will be playing their sixth game in nine days in Game 5 at the Ynares Center in Antipolo at 4:30 p.m., ended San Miguel’s playoff streak two Fridays ago by winning Game 3 of their series to get this far.
