MANILA, 9 October 2006 — After flaunting the form that was as scary as Asi Taulava’s hairdo in its debut, Talk ‘N Text last night got even scarier.
The Phone Pals, made to grind it out all night against a hard-fighting Alaska side, survived a close shave and posted a 97-93 decision of the Aces for a share of the early lead in the PBA Philippine Cup eliminations.
And it was a victory which coach Derrick Pumaren said would “obviously do nothing but make us a better team in the long term.”
Pumaren admitted to being pleased after surviving a great test of character against the Aces, who pushed the star-studded Talk ‘N Text lineup to the limit.
But the Phone Pals responded with bravado, rising to the challenge instead of folding up with Taulava leading the charge with 25 points and nine rebounds and five other players scoring in double digits. It was a multiple-barrelled attack that befuddled the Aces, who nevertheless made a game out of it in the fourth quarter by coming within one inside the final minute after a Mike Cortez triple, 91-90. But Taulava knocked in a long twinner with the shotclock about to expire and Donbel Belano made two free throws with 13.7 to go. It was the second straight victory for the Phone Pals, who, on Wednesday last week, went mano-a-mano with defending champion Purefoods and tore the Chunkee Giants to shreds, 108-99.
Which made last night’s win particularly pleasing for Pumaren, who is also serving on borrowed time, so to speak. The usually reserved mentor knows that no less than a championship in this tournament could mean an abrupt end to his relationship with the PLDT franchise. “That’s part of the job,” Pumaren said. “I’m glad that we were tested by a game like this one. Definitely, winning in this manner will only make us a better team and would serve us well in the long grind.” Alaska, which got 24 points from Cortez, dropped to 1-2, even as Welcoat, the new kid on the block, surprised Coca-Cola, 85-75, to barge into the win column after just two games into their pro ball existence. The Dragons scored when they needed, rebounding mightily from an ugly loss to idle Barangay Ginebra in the inaugurals. Incidentally, the Gin Kings raced to a 2-0 start after mangling Purefoods, 86-67, in an out-of-town game at the Lamberto Macias gym in Dumaguete City on Saturday.
Jay-R Reyes, a 6-foot-7 center out of University of the Philippines , scored 16 points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked two shots in leading the Dragons, whose inspired performance surprised even their coach.
The Dragons not only bounced back from a 69-102 loss to the Gin Kings, but they recovered from a 0-12 start by displaying composure and maturity far beyond their years and the pre-season respect they commanded.
Welcoat got to the lead after the first quarter, 18-16 and grimly hung tough the rest of the way, even leading by 11 points after a Reyes basket in the Dragons’ first possession to open up the fourth period, 65-54. The Tigers dropped to a share of last place with the Giants at 0-2, and from the looks of it, coach Binky Favis would have to experiment a little more after losing big men Billy Mamaril, Rafi Reavis and Rudy Hatfield to the Kings in the off-season.
