Congruence,
symmetry & three for history
Talk ‘N Text are champions
again. And the numbers tell it all.
by rick olivares
If you dissect Talk ‘N Text’s Game
Four 105-82 victory over Rain or Shine to clinch the Philippine Cup championship
via four-game sweep with geek eyes looking for signs that this was written in
the stars then you’ll rub yours eyes and say, “Oh, wow.”
Rain or Shine’s Beau Belga hit a shot
and was fouled. That made the score 80-71. Belga could have further chipped at
the lead but he missed the free throw.
The conference’s best player, Jayson
Castro threw up a three-point shot on TNT’s next possession then asked to be
subbed out as fatigue set in.
Then came the barrage that finished
off Rain or Shine.
Forward Jared Dillinger, who would
finish with 14 points, nailed a trey with Elasto Painter Ryan Araña on him;
83-71.
Then Kelly Williams got his third slam
dunk of the game, a highlight reel three-point play alley-oop slam off a pass
by Ranidel de Ocampo with Jervy Cruz playing the foil; 86-71.
A stop on their defensive end, TNT got
the ball back and this time De Ocampo stroked a three from the left corner to
hike the score to 89-71.
Guard Ryan Reyes got in on the numbers
game with a three-point play against a hard-luck Cruz; 92-71.
Then longtime team captain Jimmy
Alapag hit two consecutive triples, the last one from what – 25-26 feet away –
for a 98-76 lead with 4:05 left to play.
Those were six three-point shots/plays
in two minutes and 36 seconds that effectively put out the fight of ROS and the
championship in TNT’s hands with only the final score to be settled.
At the final buzzer, Talk ‘N Text
became the first PBA team in three decades to win three straight All-Filipino
championships. They were also only the third team to sweep a best-of-seven
series after Swift Mighty Meaty gave Seven-Up the broom in 1992 and when
Purefoods shut out Alaska in 2010.
There’s the Tropang Texters’ final
score – 105. Break it down further – “10” for Norman Black’s 10 PBA titles and
“5” for the five straight UAAP titles Mr. 100% won with Ateneo de Manila.
It was also TNT’s fifth title in five
years.
You want more? Norman Black is the
third coach to win a championship with the franchise (the other two being Joel
Banal in 2002 and Chot Reyes with titles won in 2008-09, 2010-11, and 2011-12.
From the opening tip, it looked like
the Tropang Texters were intent on finishing the game early on.
They once more raced to an early double-digit
lead while Rain or Shine shockingly looked like a beaten team even in only the
first few minutes of Game Four.
The Tropang Texters’ first quarter
shooting was impeccable (50%); their teamwork even more impressive.
After the Rain or Shine Elasto
Painters’ Larry Rodriguez put his side up, 7-4 with a jump shot, TNT’s Larry
Fonacier answered with a trey to level the count. Twenty-six seconds later, at
the 8:02 mark, the Tropang Texters’ Jimmy Alapag drove from the right side of
the court. The TNT point guard drew the defense before issuing a bounce pass to
a cutting Ranidel Ocampo.
Ocampo’s running jump hook gave his
side a 9-7 lead. One they would not relinquish even when the Elasto Painters
came roaring back in the fourth period to come within a bucket of drawing
level.
The experience of Talk ‘n Text showed
definitely in Game Four as they played with no jitters in dispatching Rain or
Shine. A three-games-to-none lead will give you all the confidence in the world
for sure but what was clearly evident is how the Tropang Texters looked superbly
conditioned and how their offense and defense – so similar to what the Ateneo
Blue Eagles have been doing in the crunch against heralded squads – was a huge
difference.
I thought that what makes this Talk ‘N
Text team even more lethal is their willingness to make the extra pass that led
to easier baskets. After two quarters, TNT had 19 assists!
I was quite shocked that Rain or Shine
seemed a shell of itself as they looked timid. The scorching start that saw TNT
amass a 16-point lead at 29-13 with the first quarter almost done.
I’d give credit to Ryan Araña, TY
Tang, and later Chris Tiu for trying to put some spark in ROS’ game with their
willingness to be more aggressive and physical. With TNT’s perimeter defense
porous, ROS got some points inside. The Elasto Painters clogged the inside and
forced TNT to shoot from the outside. And it worked as they brought the lead
down to 53-46 at the half.
A response of back-to-back triples by
Larry Fonacier and Ranidel de Ocampo restored a double-digit lead for TNT and
stretched the defensive vise that clogged the shaded lane.
However, just as they have all series
long, TNT responded to a ROS run with a back breaking one of their own.
ROS, hoping against hope, had one more
run in them. They brought the lead down, 65-63 following a Chris Tiu bucket.
TNT went back to what got them their early lead – the extra pass.
Jared Dillinger found an open Ali Peek
who obliged with a jumper that was all net. If ROS was going to double team
Peek inside, JD served notice that they will have to play straight up honest D
when he drilled a trey to give his side some breathing space, 70-63.
And then came the six three-point
shots/plays that broke whatever was left of ROS’ spirit. TNT hit 14 triples for the series clincher while the Elasto Painters with snipers Jeff Chan, Paul Lee, Chris Tiu, TY Tang (including the bigs who can also hit the three-ball) managed only 2-17 for a poor 11.8%. That's horrible for a team that makes great use of the trey as part of their offense.
As for Talk ‘N Text and Norman Black –
what a run. I know it was the product of hard work, discipline, and a
commitment to defense. But the symmetry – incredible.
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