Barangay Ginebra’s run of surprises goes on.

The lowest-ranked team in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup’s Final Four chopped down powerhouse Talk ‘N Text to size last night, posting a 104-81 win to gain a head-start in their best-of-five series before close to 15,000 fans at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.

With Vernon Macklin providing unparalleled energy, Ginebra zoomed away from the Texters after giving up the game’s first basket, leading by as many as 28 points late in the second quarter to win pulling away and grab the favorite’s label starting tomorrow’s second game.

Ginebra took a 33-15 lead at the end of the first, was 23 ahead at the half and never led by less than 18 the rest of the way as the badly-outclassed Texters were left wondering what hit them.

“We played very well and I think we caught Talk ‘N Text on their off-night,” Ginebra coach Alfrancis Chua said. “But they will be back. We beat a very strong team, but it is a champion team with a champion coach.

“We just have to be ready when they bounce back.” Game 2 is scheduled tomorrow also at the Big Dome.

Ginebra has gotten this far by taking down tournament No. 2 Rain or Shine in two straight games, and the Kings were not given much of a chance in pre-series rankings.

But the way the Kings manhandled the Tropang Texters has certainly all that, most especially if Talk ‘N Text decided to stick it out with former New York Knick Jerome Jordan.

The 7-foot import made 11 of his 21 points from the free throw line and finished with just eight rebounds and couldn’t fire up his teammates the way Macklin does for the short-handed Gin Kings.

Ginebra played without Mark Caguioa again because of a knee injury. And last night – of all the games the Kings have played without the reigning MVP – saw Ginebra have as little need for Caguioa as possible.

Kerby Raymundo tossed in 14 points and plucked down nine rebounds for Ginebra, which was led in scoring by Macklin’s 25.

Three other locals scored 12 or more and only Elmer Espiritu failed to score from a total of 13 men that saw action on the floor for Chua.

Meanwhile, Alaska and San Mig Coffee open their separate best-of-five series today at 6:15 p.m., with the Aces looking to beat the Mixers and former coach Tim Cone for the first time in close to two seasons.

Alaska has lost all of its eight games against its ex-coach, counting two in this tournament, and coach Luigi Trillo believes that it’s just a matter of time before they finally win one.

“I think it’s a 50-50 series,” Trillo said on the eve of his Game 1.

Cone owns two victories against the Aces in the Philippine Cup, one of them by 20 points. But the last San Mig win was just by one point, and it came in a controversial manner when a free throw by Calvin Abueva was nullified because of a rebounding infraction.

“Obviously, we have the confidence against them,” Cone said. “But confidence can only take us so far. We have a tough series ahead of us, they are the No. 1 team in the eliminations.” Denzel Bowles will be the main man for Cone, and he will be Alaska counterpart Robert Dozier’s main problem.