Ryan Reyes, three nights after losing his younger brother to
a horrid car accident in the United States, was big on both ends in the fourth
quarter Saturday night and lifted Talk ‘N Text to a 91-82 win over San Miguel
for a 1-0 lead in their best-of-seven series for the PBA Philippine Cup
championship.
The heady 6-foot-1 guard scored six of his 13 points in the
payoff frame while shutting down his man on the other end as the Tropang
Texters broke away to take the series opener in convincing manner at the
Victorias City Sports and Cultural Center in Negros Occidental.
Talk ‘N Text spilled San Miguel with a no-nonsense defense
all night, as the Beermen finally gave way in the fourth by going scoreless in
the period’s first 3:30 to trail by nine and finally getting the fight snuffed
out of them.
But Talk ‘N Text coach Chot Reyes was quick to dismiss the
win as just one of the many that his Tropang Texters have picked up along the
way to get here, making sure that this latest victory does not in any way get
into the heads of his wards.
“All this (win) means is a 1-0 lead,” Reyes said at center court
shortly after the fans came storming onto the floor. “This (series) is far from
over and we are ready to play as many games as necessary to wrap this thing
up.” Reyes felt that the Beermen folded up during the game’s most critical
stages, and that fatigue set in on San Miguel and helped the Texters to the win.
Jay Washington, the San Miguel forward who holds a huge
grudge against his former team, limped off the court late in the third period
because of cramps on both legs and the Beermen were never the same after that.
And Washington looked like he had more than cramps, as team
physicians attended to him in the locker room and on the bench when he
returned, though San Miguel coaching staff refused to confirm this at press
time.
“It’s part of the game,” Reyes said when asked to comment if
he saw Washington to be nursing more than cramps. “It’s an unfortunate thing
(if the San Miguel forward is indeed injured). But we have to capitalize on
it.” Game 2 is set Wednesday night at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay with all
the momentum on the side of the Texters, who are very aware that, like them,
the Beermen have not lost back-to-back games the entire tournament.
“We will approach Game 2 with nothing on our minds but Game
2,” Reyes said. “We won’t even be thinking of their (Beermen’s) record as far
as consecutive losses are concerned. We will come out thinking that we just
want to beat them for the first time.” Down 67-68 at the end of the third, the
Texters came out firing in the fourth, scoring 10 unanswered points for a
nine-point edge before the Beermen finally tasted their first bucket almost
3:30 into the period.
The best that San Miguel could do was cut down that deficit
to three, 76-79, off a Washington triple with 5:13 left, before the Texters
wheeled away for good with a 7-2 spurt that left the Beermen eating their dust,
86-78 with 2:13 left that sent a huge chunk of the big crowd heading for the
exits.
Ryan Reyes hit a triple before running down a looseball on
the other end that led to a Jared Dillinger free throw for four unanswered
points that touched off that telling burst. He also kept Dondon Hontiveros out
of his sweet spot as the deadly San Miguel gunner finished with just nine
points.
The game was low-scoring but it didn’t lack the action and
excitement needed in making a championship series encounter a classic as Jason
Castro led the Texters with 16 points with Reyes finishing with four rebounds,
four assists and two steals.
Washington still went on to lead the Beermen with 14 points
with Arwind Santos chipping in 13 that went with 15 rebounds.
