The Tropa’s starting two-guard Ryan Reyes will sit out the action to attend his brother’s funeral in Los Angeles. He is expected back in Manila early Sunday morning and will play in Game 4 that night.

Reyes’ absence may be the break that San Miguel coach Ato Agustin is looking for. Talk ‘N’ Text’s rotation won’t be the same with Reyes gone and coach Chot Reyes will make do with a short-handed guard corps. Larry Fonacier or Aaron Aban is expected to start in Reyes’ place if Jason Castro keeps his role as the firestarter from the bench.

Agustin is praying for a momentum shift – one victory to get San Miguel over the hump and into the win column. If San Miguel takes Game 3, the Beermen will try to make it two in a row with Reyes expected to be battling jet lag. The idea of clinching is far from Agustin’s mind at the moment. The Beermen are down, 0-2, and to clinch, they’ve got to win four of the next five – a tall order considering Talk ‘N’ Text has the edge in bench depth. It’s all about taking one step at a time without thinking beyond the challenge of Game 3.

History is against San Miguel coming back to life. In the 1998 Second Conference finals, San Miguel fell behind, 0-2, to Alaska then leveled the count before losing two in a row. In the 2007 Fiesta Conference semifinals, the Beermen also were down, 0-2, won Game 3, then lost two of the next three to bow out. In the Fiesta Conference finals last season, San Miguel came from a 0-2 deficit to win Game 3 but was beaten in two of the next three games by Alaska. So in three best-of-7 series where San Miguel fell into a 0-2 hole, the Beermen never recovered. But in those three match-ups, San Miguel managed to win Game 3. Will it be the same thing against Talk ‘N’ Text in this conference finals?

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There’s no question that San Miguel must play tougher defense to pull the rug from under the Texters. Talk ‘N’ Text won Game 1, 91-82, behind a scorching transition attack that brought in 19 fastbreak points to San Miguel’s eight and a fiery bench that delivered 43 points to the Beermen’s 35. In Game 2 last Wednesday, San Miguel limited Talk ‘N’ Text to 42 points at the turn then yielded 68 in the second half as the Beermen couldn’t sustain their defensive intensity. The Texters prevailed, 110-102.

If San Miguel is able to hold Talk ‘N’ Text down to less than 90 points and below 40 percent shooting from the floor, the Beermen will likely win. But that presumes playing consistently hard-nosed, merciless defense to take away the Texters’ flow. Whether Agustin has the manpower to get it done is a question mark because of the lack of young legs. There are six San Miguel players who are 33 or more – Olsen Racela, 40, Mick Pennisi, 35, Danny Ildefonso, 34, Danny Seigle, 34, Dondon Hontiveros, 33 and Dorian Peña, 33. In contrast, the Tropa only has two players – Ali Peek, 35, and Jimmy Alapag, 33 – in that category.

Like in Game 1, nine Texters logged at least 20 minutes compared to five from San Miguel in the rematch. Reyes’ rotation is obviously a lot deeper. Six Texters hit in double figures in Game 2. Five scored in double figures for San Miguel. Talk ‘N’ Text had the edge in turnover points, 15-9, bench firepower, 46-32, rebounds, 32-29 and assists, 21-15. In the first half, San Miguel held Talk ‘N’ Text to .386 shooting from the floor but in the second, the Texters shot .594 – an indication of San Miguel’s failure to finish strong. In a war of attrition, Talk ‘N’ Text has a decided advantage.

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What led to San Miguel’s downfall last Wednesday was Jared Dillinger’s explosion in the fourth period as Arwind Santos sat on the bench, cooling his heels. Dillinger ate up whatever defense Alex Cabagnot and Hontiveros put up as he exploded for 11 of his 20 points in the payoff quarter. Dillinger’s shift from three to two was a key adjustment that caught Agustin off-guard. By the time Santos checked back in, it was too late to undo the damage.

When Agustin sent in his veterans, Reyes countered with his speed unit that simply ran their elders to the ground. Jimmy Alapag and Castro together in the backcourt has been a lethal combination for the Texters. Racela didn’t play at all in Game 1 but went 19 minutes last Wednesday.

Ranidel de Ocampo starting at center was another headache for Agustin as he ran rings around Peña and Pennisi. Ali Peek, Harvey Carey and de Ocampo combined for 26 rebounds, 10 offensive, in an outstanding effort off the boards.

If San Miguel hopes to keep the scores low in Game 3, the Beermen must put pressure in the backcourt and slow down the tempo. Starting physical quarterback Denok Miranda could set the tone for San Miguel with Cabagnot sliding to two-guard. In Game 2, Cabagnot finished with a conference-high 18 points but didn’t score in the first half. Cabagnot must start strong offensively to ease the burden on Jay Washington’s shoulders and can’t wait too long before unraveling his heroics. Washington could play the three-spot instead of Santos who’ll shoot less threes at power forward. Ildefonso could open at center with Peña and Pennisi his relievers. Hontiveros off the bench could be the spark that Agustin has been praying for.

Joaquin Henson, Philippine Star