Ginebra beats Talk 'n Text to set Finals with Alaska

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel saw their 22-point lead reduced to seven before holding on in the endgame to outlast the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters, 111-103, on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.

LA Tenorio was the best player of the game with 28 points, six rebounds, five assists and a 12-of-14 shooting clip from the freethrow stripe.

A Tony Mitchell three with 2:11 remaining cut the lead to ten after an LA Tenorio layup, before Vernon Macklin split from the line. Another Tenorio fastbreak layup made it a 13-point game with 1:33 to go, 102-89, as Mitchell made only one from the line at the other end.

A Ginebra turnover led to a Ryan Reyes steal and layup, cutting the lead to ten with a little over a minute left, but the Tropa sent Mac Baracael to the line for a split. The Texters called for time with 61 seconds left on the clock, which led to a quick bucket from Ali Peek.

Kerby Raymundo trooped to the line as TNT tried to stop the clock. Raymundo drained both, giving the Texters 56.2 seconds to deal with an 11-point lead. After Norman Black called for his final timeout, Mitchell rung in a quick three, but Tenorio hit both from the freethrow line.

TNT responded with a Ryan Reyes basket, while Tenorio sank two more from the strop. The Texters went to Fonacier for a three at the top of the key, as the former Ateneo Blue Eagle only made one. After a forced miss by Fonacier, Mitchell hit another three, 109-103.

With 34.5 seconds remaining, Mark Caguioa was sent in by Ginebra head coach Alfrancis Chua. WIth 25.5 remaining, "The Spark" sank two more from the line, making it an eight-point game.

After JJ Helterbrand missed two from the line, Ginebra collared the offensive board, with Tenorio giving Caguioa the ball to dribble off the time.


The scores:

GINEBRA 111 - Tenorio 28, Macklin 22, Baracael 21, Helterbrand 15, Raymundo 13, Hatfield 6, Urbiztondo 3, Caguioa 2, Ellis 1, Mamaril 0.

TALK N' TEXT 103 - Mitchell 42, Castro 15, Peek 11, Reyes 10, Ferriols 9, Aban 8, Fonacier 3, Al-Hussaini 2, Carey 2, Raymundo 1, Gamalinda 0, Alvarez 0, Alapag 0.

Quarters: 27-18, 61-41, 78-69, 111-103

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Jared Dillinger out for rest of the conference

The Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters are going to miss yet another key piece of their rotation as they trudge ahead in the Commissioner’s Cup playoffs.

Daredevil forward Jared Dillinger will miss the rest of the tournament after being involved in a vehicular accident early Saturday.

Talk ‘N Text coach Norman Black revealed the development shortly after the Tropang Texters’ 85-79 victory in Game Two of the semifinals over Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Sunday night.

“He’s gonna be out a while, at least the rest of the conference, and possibly into the next conference,” said Black.

“I don’t know the extent, but he hurt his midsection, I think his pelvis.”

Talk ‘N Text earlier lost star forward Kelly Williams, who left the team indefinitely to battle a recurrent blood disorder. The Tropang Texters have also missed Ali Peek in the quarterfinals, though Black said he expects the veteran center back in time for Game Three.

With a growing list of walking wounded, Black said he expects the rest of his crew to step up.

“Everybody says we’re such a deep team,” said Black, “so now is the time for us to show it.”

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Barako Bull and Talk ‘N Text showdown in Legazpi

Barako Bull and Talk ‘N Text collide on Saturday in Legazpi City, Albay in a battle of two struggling teams in the 2013 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

The Energy Colas and the Tropang Texters both enter the game with a two-game losing slide, and one streak will end after their 6:30 p.m. encounter.

After a promising 3-1 start, Barako Bull absorbed back-to-back blowout losses to Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (93-72) and Petron Blaze (91-78) to see its win-loss record slide to 3-3.

“We have to play better than in our last two games. I don’t know if it is enough to win,” said Barako Bull consultant Rajko Toroman, who admittedly was not pleased with how his players performed in their last two assignments.

They will be up against another skidding team in Talk ‘N Text, which is sitting at the bottom half of the team standings with a 2-3 mark.

The Philippine Cup champions are parading balik-import Donnell Harvey, who replaced Keith Benson.

“They changed their import. They lost two in a row and these are the reasons why it will be very difficult for us,” Toroman added.

Harvey was Talk ‘N Text’s import when the franchise lost to B-MEG (now San Mig Coffee) in last season’s Commissioner’s Cup finals in seven grueling games.

The 32-year old Harvey averaged 19 points and 16 rebounds in the best-of-seven championship series against the Llamados.

The Tropang Texters have lost to Alaska (69-92) and the Coffee Mixers (82-90) in their past two games.

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Talk ‘n Text brings back Donnell Harvey

Talk ‘n Text hopes to get back to its winning ways when it parades balik-impot Donnell Harvey on Saturday in a game against the skidding Barako Bull squad in a PBA Commissioner’s Cup road game in Legazpi City.

The 6’8” Harvey is fresh from a stint with the Tianjin Ronggang in the Chinese Basketball Association and will be replacing Keith Benson, who could only help the squad to a 2-3 record in his five-game stint with the Texters.

Talk ‘N Text team manager Aboy Castro said he was told by Harvey that his return stint has something to do with his mission of trying to complete an “unfinished business” with the Tropang Texters.

“I think more importantly, Harvey will bring toughness to the team and rebounding. He has been telling us that he has some unfinished business here. And for sure, he knows what the team needs,” Castro told Spin.ph shortly after arriving in Legazpi City.

Black, meantime, said he’ll find ways to fit the 32-year-old Harvey into the team’s system though their immediate goal is to get back on the winning track against the Energy Cola.

“Harvey is now with us in Legazpi. We are hoping that he will improve our chances this conference especially since he led us to the finals last year,” said Black.

The former University of Alabama alumnus averaged 19.06 points, 16 rebounds, 2.17 assiasts and 1.5 steals last season for the Tropang Texters, who bowed to B-Meg (now San Mig Coffee) in the Finals in seven games.

Talk 'N Text is the second team to replace its import after San Mig, which welcomed back last season's Commissioner's Cup Best Import Denzel Bowles.

Since replacing Matt Rogers, the Mixers under Bowles have won three of their last four games.

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Monster Bowles is back: Past Talk n' Text for first win

Denzel Bowles responded with a monster performance after a dismal debut to power defending champion San Mig Coffee to a morale-boosting 90-82 win over Talk ‘N Text in a rematch of last season’s PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals protagonists on Sunday at the Big Dome.

The 23-year-old Bowles, the best import during the Mixers' run to last year's championship, atoned for his poor 12-point performance on Friday night in a loss to Rain or Shine by punishing the Tropang Texters with 29 points, 23 rebounds and three blocks in 42 minutes.

He reserved his best in the final period when he exploded for 14 points while controlling the boards with ferocity to finally give the Mixers their first victory after opening the conference with three straight defeats.

“We had to realize the game is hard. And we’re gonna go through some tough times. But it doesn’t matter how we fall down, but how we get up. It’s so true in life and it’s so true in basketball,” San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone said after pulling off the stunning victory.

Cone said he felt really humiliated especially after the Mixers lost their last two assignments by an average margin of 26.5 points.

“In our first three games, and especially the last two, that’s the first time in my career na tambakan. But for us to come back with one day preparation.  And Denzel playing well, he really inspired us tonight. He got all those rebounds and scoring for us,” added Cone.

San Mig's defense was also outstanding as it held Talk ‘N Text to just 4-of-21 shooting in the final period to turn the game around.

PJ Simon led San Mig Coffee’s locals with 13 points while Marc Pingris added 12 while picking up the scoring slack from star forward James Yap, who could only finish with six after being going into foul trouble early.

Jason Castro led the Tropang Texters with 18 points, while Keith Benson added 17 and 17 boards. The 6-11 Talk ‘N Text import though couldn’t go all-out defensively in the final quarter after picking up his fifth personal foul with less than three minutes to play.

The Texters dropped to 2-2.

The scores:

San Mig Coffee 90 - Bowles 29, Simon 13, Pingris 12, Devance 11, Barroca 9, Yap 6, Gaco 4, Najorda 2, Reavis 2, De Ocampo 2, Mallari 0

Talk ‘N Text 82 - Castro 18, Benson 16, Reyes 14, Alapag 8, Al-Hussaini 7, Fonacier 6, Williams 4, Carey 4, Dillinger 3, De Ocampo 2, Aban 0

Quarterscores: 17-17, 44-41, 63-68, 90-82

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Finals rematch San Mig Coffee vs. Talk n' Text; GlobalPort against Meralco

Talk ‘N Text eyes its third straight win while GlobalPort tries to bounce back from a demoralizing loss as they face separate rivals in the 2013 PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Sunday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

The Tropang Texters face sliding San Mig Coffee in the main game at 6:30 p.m. in a rematch of last year’s Commissioner’s Cup finals. This comes right after the meeting of Batang Pier and Meralco at 4:15 p.m.

After losing to the Bolts at the start of its campaign, Talk ‘N Text now has won its last two games while defending champion San Mig Coffee has yet to win a game after three starts.

This concerns Tropang Texters head coach Norman Black.

“We are expecting a hungry San Mig Coffee team especially in light of their loss to Rain or Shine on Friday,” said Black, referring to the Mixers’ 93-65 defeat to the Elasto Painters.

“We just want to continue to improve on our defense, while keeping the game as uptempo as possible.”

Reigning Commissioner’s Cup Best Import Denzel Bowles returned to the San Mig Coffee lineup and scored just 12 points. He replaced Matt Rogers.

In the opener, GlobalPort hopes to bounce back from a 99-79 defeat at the hands of the Tropang Texters and nails its third win.

“Regroup, bounce back from a blowout loss,” said Batang Pier coach Junel Baculi. “We respect Meralco, they are a good team. We have to work on our defense. We allow too many points in our last four games.”

The Bolts enter the game on a three-game losing streak, including a heart-breaking 88-86 defeat at the hands of Petron Blaze.

“We’re trying. We’ve been competing hard but could not close out games on a high note. We just have to try harder. It is a long conference and a lot of things can happen,” said Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio.

“We see a lot of good things despite our early losses, most notable of which is the fact that we simply don’t give up. Down big against Petron and still had a legit crack at winning, then disaster struck, the call by the ref which broke our momentum.”

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Ginebra battles GlobalPort; Air 21 vs. Talk ‘N Text

Air 21 eyes to join Alaska and Barako Bull at the top of leader board with a win against Talk ‘N Text in the opener of the 2013 PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Friday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

The Express seek win No. 2 in their 5:15 p.m. clash against the Tropang Texters.

In the main game, GlobalPort hopes to bounce back from a sorry loss as it faces Barangay Ginebra San Miguel at 7:30 p.m.

Air 21 shocked Ginebra in its opening assignment, 74-70, behind the solid effort of import Michael Dunigan who netted 26 points, 19 rebounds, and five blocks in his debut for the Express.

“Dunigan is a big factor. He gives us a presence underneath,” said Air 21 coach Franz Pumaren. “Man for man, I think we’re the weakest right now so we have to win it on defense.”

Talk ‘N Text is coming off a 99-92 loss to Meralco while Kelly Williams is coming back for the squad after sitting out the match against the Bolts.

“It’s a game we need to win to keep pace with the early leaders. I’m hoping our defense will be better and our import will stay out of foul trouble,” said Tropang Texters coach Norman Black.

Keith Benson fouled out in that game and finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds for the Tropang Texters.

“We have to try and control their import who is very good, and slow down KG Canalate and Mike Cortez,” Black added.

In the main tiff, the Batang Pier, carrying a 1-1 slate, try to recover from a shocking 98-88 overtime loss to the Energy Cola with a victory over Ginebra.

The Kings are eyeing their first win after losing to the Express with import Herbert Hill dishing out a relatively so-so performance with 17 points though he had 18 rebounds.

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Eric Dawson carry Meralco over Talk ‘N Text

Eric Dawson has served notice.

The Meralco import scored 16 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Bolts to an impressive 99-92 victory over the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters in the Commissioner’s Cup Saturday night at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Dawson added 14 rebounds and four blocks for the Bolts, who squandered an 18-point first half lead before recovering in time to turn back the Tropang Texters.

“We played Talk N Text at the right time. They didn’t have extensive practice together and they have two new guys on their roster,” said Ryan Gregorio.

“We, on the other hand, were practicing a long time. Eric has been practicing for us for the past three weeks.”

Ronjay Buenafe and Mac Cardona added 19 and 16 points, respectively, for the Bolts. Chris Ross, starting at the point guard spot in place of the traded Sol Mercado, scored just two points but had nine rebounds and eight assists for Meralco.

“This is definitely a brand new franchise. It’s nice to win this game against the champs,” added Gregorio.

“I like the unpredictability of our game right now. We can go to the post and we can go off screen.”

Despite the team effort, it was Dawson who sealed the deal for the Bolts, scoring 11 of his team’s final 13 points. He drew the sixth and final foul of Talk ‘N Text import Keith Benson with more than three minutes remaining, taking the fight out of the Tropang Texters.

Benson led Talk ‘N Text with 25 points, while Jimmy Alapag added 18, 14 of which came in the second half. Jayson Castro had 15 of his 17 points in the second quarter, but played sparingly in the second half because of an apparent injury.

The scores:

Meralco 99 – Dawson 37, Buenafe 19, Cardona 16, Manuel 8, HugnaTAN 8, Hodge 4, Borboran 3, Guevarra 2, Timberlake 0, Reyes 0, Artadi 0.

Talk ‘N Text 92 – Benson 25, Alapag 18, Castro17, De Ocampo 9, Fonacier 7, Reyes 6, Dillinger 4, Raymundo 2, Al-Hussaini 2, Carey 2, Aban 0, Ferriols 0.

Quarters: 27-14; 48-41; 68-62; 99-92

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Donnel Harvey willing to play in other squad

Donnell Harvey, the import who led Talk ‘N Text to the Commissioner’s Cup finals last season, is back in town for vacation over the Chinese New Year break.

But the former NBA first round pick is mixing a little business with pleasure.

Harvey’s agent Sheryl Reyes said the import is still open to suiting up for Talk ‘N Text, but would welcome opportunities with other PBA teams.

“Talk ‘N Text is his main priority because he loves his teammates and he feels that he can get the championship for them this time,” said Reyes.

“Pero if they don’t need his services, he is open to play for a different squad.”

Reyes said she had already asked Talk ‘N Text team manager Aboy Castro about securing a release for Harvey, whose PBA rights still belong with the Tropang Texters.

With Harvey still finish a tour of duty in the Chinese Basketball Association, Talk ‘N Text has moved ahead and signed another reinforcement, Keith Benson.

Castro said Benson has impressed for Talk ‘N Text so far.

“He’s been doing well. He’s a quick learner given that we’ve only had eight practices so far. He played well in a tuneup game against NLEX the other day, a team which had Greg Slaughter, Ian Sanggalang and Marcus Douthit,” wrote Castro in a text message to InterAKTV.

Harvey is currently the leading rebounder in the CBA, averaging 16.1 rebounds per game while playing for the Tianjin Steel.

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2013 Commissioner’s Cup Imports: Rain or Shine, San Mig Coffee, Talk ‘N Text

The big boys are back for the 2013 Commissioner’s Cup! With no height limit and 10 new faces, the action promises to be titanic. Who will stand tallest? Here’s an early look.

Bruno Sundov, Rain or Shine Elasto Painters

In last season’s no-limit conference, Rain or Shine opted to go with a smaller guy in Duke Crews. The Elasto Painters are going in a completely opposite direction this time around, tapping the 7-foot-3 Sundov for the Commissioner’s Cup. He spent seven seasons in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks, though he’s never played more than 26 games in a season.

Sundov will likely be the most compelling import to follow this conference. For one thing, he is huge. He’s the largest import to ever suit up in the league and with some teams opting to go small for their import despite the lack of a height limit, Sundov’s size will be apparent the moment he steps on the floor for the Elasto Painters.

The other thing that makes him interesting is his style of play. He’s a big guy who likes taking jumpers, and if Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao is to be believed, he’s pretty darn good at making them as well. That, of course, makes him an excellent fit with the Elasto Painters, where their centers have the green light to throw up treys whenever the shot is there.

The downside to Sundov, obviously, is a lack of athleticism and mobility. There are few players his size blessed with agility. That means his teammates will have to compensate a little to allow their import to stay in spots where he’s comfortable.

That’s not to say he’ll be a sieve defensively, though. At his size, he’ll definitely be a big presence on either end. But it’ll be up to Rain or Shine to make the mismatches work in their favor instead of against them.

For a team like Rain or Shine that got so close to the title last conference, this is a very interesting import choice. At his size, he’ll very easily get his jumpers off and if he makes them at a high rate, this team will be very hard to stop. It would be to no one’s surprise if the Elasto Painters find themselves very much in the mix late in the conference, and Sundov will have plenty to do with that.

Matt Rogers, San Mig Coffee Mixers

Rogers will be taking on the unenviable task of following the very popular Denzel Bowles, who led this team to a title in last year’s Commissioner’s Cup. There will be inevitable comparisons, which might not be fair to Rogers, but San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone has assured fans that the 6-foot-11, 225-pound Rogers is a guy they’re going to like.

Like Bowles, Rogers is a skilled big guy. He led his Southwest Baptist University squad with averages of 18.3 points and 8.7 rebounds as a sophomore. He’s performed well with the Texas Legends in the NBA D-League as well, scoring 7.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and over a block per game while playing just 17 minutes per game. He also appeared in four NBA Summer League games for the Indiana Pacers last year and moved to the Spanish league LEB Oro to play for Coruna.

Cone has said that Rogers isn’t as physically strong as Bowles, but is athletic and has shooting range that extends to the three-point line. He has the ability to knock down long shots, although he doesn’t seem to take too many of them — which is something you’d like of a 6-11 guy anyway. In 11 games in the Spanish second-tier league LEB Oro, Rogers hit a pretty impressive 44% from three-point range. He only had nine attempts in that span, but made four of them.

So Rogers is looking like he’ll be a nice versatile presence for the Mixers who can do his damage inside but also knock down shots if he finds himself open on the outside, which will happen on occasion in Cone’s system. He’ll be a nice fit and a good replacement for Bowles, although for San Mig Coffee fans, the only Bowles comparison that will likely matter is whether or not he can lead the team to the title.

Keith Benson/Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters

Benson played collegiate ball for the Oakland Golden Grizzlies — one of the so-called mid-majors in NCAA Division I ball — where he set a Summit League record for career blocks and received the Lou Henson Award, an honor given to the mid-major player of the year. He was a late second round pick of the Atlanta Hawks in the 2011 NBA Draft and was able to play in two preseason games before being waived.

He is an interesting physical specimen. Benson stands 6-foot-11 and has a terrific wingspan of 7-4 and will undoubtedly be a major lockdown presence for the Tropang Texters in the paint. He averaged 10.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks for the Erie BayHawks in his most recent NBA D-League stint while playing just 24 minutes per contest. His shotblocking ability should translate well to the PBA, with a quick leap, good timing and his excellent length.

On offense, he’s not the most polished player, but he does have a few reliable go-to moves like the jump hook and a nice midrange touch. He probably won’t dominate offensively, but that won’t matter too much on a talented offensive team like Talk ‘N Text.

Benson makes a lot of sense for the Tropang Texters. With what is likely the best core of local players in the league today — they’ve won the Philippine Cup three straight times, after all — they probably need a dominant defensive presence more than they need a possession-heavy offensive talent that could potentially mess up what’s obviously already working.

And that’s exactly what they get with Benson: a player that’s an excellent fit on an excellent team.

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