But they have to put everything on the line for Friday night’s Game 3 at the Araneta Coliseum to stay alive and remain on track to win a first-ever all-Filipino championship in a decade.

If not, the Beermen may just as well kiss their title bid goodbye.

"Hindi pa naman tapos yan [It's not yet over]," said rookie coach Ato Agustin, trying to perk up his team that finds itself in a big hole following their 110-102 loss in Game 2 Wednesday night.

"May chance pa naman kami. Game 3 ang pinaka-crucial. Pag natalo kami, mahirap na talaga [We still have a chance. Game 3 is the most crucial one. It would be more difficult if we lose]. We need to do something."

Defense is what Agustin said his team was lacking, resulting in the Beermen's first-ever back-to-back setbacks this season.

"Wala kaming depensa. Kulang kami sa gigil. Parang nag wa-warmup lang sila. We gave up again in the fourth quarter. Walang help (defense), mabagal talaga [We had no defense. We lacked the killer instinct. As if they were just warming up. There was no help defense, we were too slow]," said the San Miguel mentor.

With the Beermen offering no more than token resistance, Talk 'N Text torched them for 68 points in the second half, replicating the 91-82 setback in the series opener held in Victorias City, Negros Occidental.

The Beermen also overlooked big guard Jared Dillinger, who played actively on offense to finish with a team-high 20 points on a near flawless 9-of-10 field goal shooting.

"Jared was the forgotten man. They were concentrating on the other guys. He did a great job finishing around the basket," said Talk 'N Text coach Chot Reyes.

Guard Jason Castro also continued to be a consistent presence in the Tropang Texters' offensive rotation, coming off the bench to score 15 points, the same output contributed by Jimmy Alapag and Ranidel De Ocampo.

Reyes said his team needed to win Game 2 as a cushion, since the Tropang Texters will play Friday's match without guard Ryan Reyes.

The former Rookie of the Year left for the U.S. just minutes following Talk 'N Text's win on Wednesday to attend the burial of his younger brother, Allan Raymond, who was killed in a car accident last week.

The soft-spoken Reyes won't be back until Sunday morning in time for Game 4 of the best-of-seven title series.

"We needed this one (the Game 2 victory) because we won't be having Ryan Reyes for Game 3," said the Texters mentor. "But this is far from over. We're expecting drastic changes in their defense in the next game, and we just have to be prepared for it."

No team in the 36-year history of Asia's first play-for-pay league has managed to rally from a 0-3 deficit to win a Finals series.

In contrast, at least five teams have come back from a 0-2 deficit to win the title, twice achieved by Talk 'N Text, first in the 2003 Philippine Cup and then in the 2008-09 Philippine Cup.

JVP, KY, GMANews.TV