The PBA Philippine Cup finals is a dead-even series and three inspirational cards for each side will decide the outcome.
Talk ‘N Text will have to use every muscle of its lineup to stop a fired-up San Miguel squad that has at least three reasons for wanting to win: Jay Washington, Ato Agustin and Olsen Racela.
You’ve read about Washington’s sentiments regarding his stint with the Texters. He has the right to express his disappointments about his former team, but he will have to perform in these finals on an even keel so that the Beermen’s frontline will stay strong against a line of bigs that can match up against them.
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Agustin’s lucky charm, if it really does exist, will undergo a serious test against TNT. Agustin is not exactly a Cinderella, as anyone who has played against him remembers, but his coaching career has been marked by championships in his first attempts.
So far, in close games against Ginebra, the Agustin magic seemed to never run out of bailout spells. The charm may be imaginary but Agustin’s relatively cool sideline demeanor (startled only by Mark Caguioa’s antics in Game 6 of the semifinals) has kept the Beermen focused and on track.
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Racela’s farewell conference will be another impetus for the Beermen to win it all. Rah-Rah has given the team some of its best years and there’s nothing like going out in a blaze of glory before he dons the khaki pants and sport shirts that coaches like wearing nowadays.
The younger Beermen would want to give their captain a title to remember.
It does look like the Beermen have three trump cards against TNT.
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The biggest motivators for the Tropang Texters, however, will be Chot Reyes, Harvey Carey and Jimmy Alapag.
Reyes is one of the fiercest competitors around and he has the voice and the fiery speeches to stir the uninspired. The colorful shirts will be there, of course, but so will the passion to win Reyes is never in short supply of.
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Carey will be the frontliner San Miguel must never, ever lose sight of. Carey’s blue-collar work standard results in second-chance points and offensive rebounds.
He is the player defenses always forget then regret in the end when he has hurt you with crucial points.
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Alapag and his duel with Alex Cabagnot will be like watching two elite tennis players exchanging baseline salvos and daggers at the net.
It will be a classic battle of anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better. Each side will try to assign taller guards to stall Alapag or Cabagnot but that will only last for a while as the two point guards can outshoot and outrun almost everyone in the league.
So there are three winning cards against three: It could be a matter of when each one is dealt and plays out in the series. Sev Sarmenta, Phil. Daily Inquirer
