THE last time Talk ‘N Text and Purefoods met, they gave one of the most memorable showdown in recent years—a triple overtime game in Davao City.
The Hotshots won that contest, 118-117, behind the heroics of import Denzel Bowles.
The two tough teams renew their rivalry on Wednesday as they begin their best-of-five semifinal series in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
For sure, the Tropang Texters won’t forget that heartbreaker in Davao and are on a mission of eliminating the defending champions of the midseason conference.
“It will be a whale of a series,” said Purefoods Head Coach Tim Cone, whose team swept Alaska in their best-of-three quarterfinal encounter.
“Talk ‘N Text is playing very well and we’re playing very well. Definitely it will be tough for both teams,” the two-time grand slam coach added.
The Tropang Texters dispatched Barako Bull, 127-97, and their easy path to the semifinals could backfire on them in Game One as they might not be as edgy as the Hotshots, who were tested by the Aces, especially in the Game Two clincher.
Former National Basketball Association (NBA) veteran Ivan Johnson and Jayson Castro were instrumental in Talk ‘N Text’s early breakaway against the Energy to book the semifinals berth.
Head Coach Jong Uichico hopes his players will be more focused and play with more desire and energy up against the reigning titlists.
“Ibang usapan na kapag nasa semis na. It’s the best against the best. The players have to play a notch higher and they know it,” Uichico said. “Purefoods is a tough opponent.”
Both teams finished with identical 8-3 win-loss cards after the elimination phase, but the Tropang Texters clinched the No. 2 seed because of better quotient.
Cone knows that Talk ‘N Text has been playing solidly behind Johnson and the leadership of Castro but the series against Alaska has prepared them well.
Bowles will be the target of the Tropang Texters defense and they don’t have enough big men, aside from Johnson, to guard the 6-foot-9 reinforcement one-on-one.
The locals will also play a key role in the series, with Purefoods drawing strength from its shooters James Yap, Joe Devance and Peter June Simon.
Mark Barroca and Justin Melton will take turns in containing Castro, while Uichico needs Kevin Alas to step up to give the veteran guard some breather.
“Both teams are pretty much at the top of their games and both teams have imports they believe in. It’s always a struggle to contain all of Talk ‘N Text’s weapons. That will be our challenge. Should be fun,” Cone said.