BACOLOD – The rhetorics are over. It’s fight time.

What could be a fortnight of colossal hardcourt battle begins as San Miguel Beer and Talk n Text
collide in Game One of their 2010-11 PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven title duel at the Victorias
City Sports and Amusement Center in Victorias, Negros Occidental Saturday.

Opening toss is at 6 p.m. with the two teams likely go hard at each other right away in their fight for first blood in this dream championship series.

Both teams are out to gain the head start and build momentum in what could be a war of attrition.

Friendly banters ended as they went separate ways after flying in here via the same Cebu Pacific flight Thursday.

“Simula na ng laban. At talagang seryosong laban ito,” said Talk n Text coach Chot Reyes.

“Game na, laban na,” said San Miguel coach Ato Agustin.

Negrense basketball fans are lucky they will witness the first Final game the league will hold
outside Metro Manila in recent years.

And it happens to be like a “Goliath versus Goliath” battle.

The Beermen and the Tropang Texters were the dominant forces in the eliminations who roared on to the Finals with identical 16-5 win-loss marks.

Both ooze with confidence heading to the series opener.

The Beermen are aching to end a 10-year title drought in the all-Filipino tourney while the Texters are determined to finally end on top after coming up short with sorry downfalls in the last two conferences.

Wary of one another’s offensive firepower, the Beermen and the Texters both intend to play tough defense.

The Beermen seem to have the edge at the frontcourt with Jay Washington, Arwind Santos, Danny Ildefonso, Danny Seigle and Dorian Pena but the Tropang Texters appear to have the advantage at the backcourt with Jimmy Alapag, Jason Castro, Ryan Reyes and Larry Fonacier.

San Miguel will likely try to impose a methodical halfcourt game while Talk n Text is expected to
push the ball at every opportunity.

The two coaches, however, believe the battle would boil down to who makes the shot in the end as the two teams would find ways to neutralize each other’s strength.

Alapag sizzled with six three-pointers and a total of 27 points while Harvey Carey and Ali Peek
contributed double-double numbers as TnT clobbered San Miguel, 97-83, in their first game in the tourney on Oct. 10.

Washington came through with 20 points and 11 rebounds with six other Beermen adding at least nine points each as SMB got back with a come-from-behind 93-88 win in their second game on Nov. 17.

Agustin is 1-0 up so far against Reyes in their coaching duel. He had yet to complete his
commitment with San Sebastian College in the NCAA when TnT beat SMB in their first meeting in the tourney.

And Reyes himself doesn’t believe he’s got the edge over Agustin.

“It will come down to who gets the right adjustment at the right time and to whose team gets hot at the right time,” said Reyes.

Reyes is the more experienced coach but Agustin has the more experienced players.

Olsen Racela, Danny Ildefonso, Danny Seigle, Mick Pennisi, Dondon Hontiveros, Paul Artadi and
Sunday Salvacion are seven SMB players who have seen action in at least six conference Finals.

Racela, in his 18th and farewell season, is actually playing his 20th final, Ildefonso his 15th and
Seigle his 14th.

Alapag, Fonacier, Carey and Gilbert Lao are the TnT players most exposed in Finals, having played six each.