The Texters are still up, 2-1, and another win by the Tropa in Game 4 tonight will put San Miguel one foot in the grave. The Beermen are hoping the momentum has shifted in the series and will look to win back-to-back.

No doubt, Game 4 will be extremely critical for both sides. For San Miguel, it’s almost like a knockout contest. Imagine the consequences of a win or a loss. A win for the Beermen will even the series count, 2-all, and send it to a best-of-three battle where suddenly, all bets are off. A loss will push Talk ‘N’ Text into a commanding situation as in this eventuality, for San Miguel to clinch, the Texters must lose three in a row – almost an improbability.

San Miguel coach Ato Agustin had to make serious adjustments in Game 3 last Friday to get over the hump. The Beermen were competitive in Games 1 and 2 only up to the third period. Agustin knew that he had to change if he wanted to avoid slipping into a 0-3 hole. He couldn’t afford the Tropa to run roughshod over San Miguel down the stretch again. As it turned out, the Beermen played with unflinching determination like their lives depend on a victory, realizing the series ain’t over ‘til it’s over and that it takes four wins to clinch the championship, not two.

San Miguel’s defense was anemic in the first two games. Talk ‘N’ Text won Game 1, 91-82, shooting .467 from the field to San Miguel’s .436. The Tropa prevailed in Game 2, 110-102, hitting .481 from the floor to the Beermen’s .439. No way San Miguel could claim it played tough defense if the Texters got away by scoring more than 90 and shooting over .450 from the floor. To make a difference defensively, San Miguel had to limit Talk ‘N’ Text to less than 90 and lower than .400 in field goal percentage.

In this column last Friday, it was mentioned that “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.” In the same column, it was suggested to slide Alex Cabagnot to two-guard and Danny Ildefonso to start at center because Ranidel de Ocampo was too much of a match for Dorian Peña at the outset.

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Sure enough, San Miguel limited Talk ‘N’ Text to 82 points and .375 shooting in Game 4 and won. Cabagnot wasn’t used exclusively at the point and often shifted to off-guard with Olsen Racela or Denok Miranda quarterbacking. Ildefonso opened in the middle and went on to take Best Player honors, collecting 12 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and two steals in 26 solid minutes. The Demolition Man went 6-of-8 from the field and had only one turnover.

Talk ‘N’ Text clearly missed Ryan Reyes’ services. The Texters’ rotation was in disarray. They weren’t as active defensively. The ball didn’t move as fluidly. For the first time in the series, the Tropa had a negative assist-to-turnover ratio, only three players scored in double figures (compared to four in Game 1 and six in Game 2), the Texters were outrebounded, 57-41, and had less fastbreak points, 14-11.

San Miguel made sure there wouldn’t be another fold-up in the fourth period, erecting an 18-point cushion at the end of the third. What broke Talk ‘N’ Text’s back was a searing 12-0 spurt in the third quarter from 50-44 to 62-44 with Ildefonso firing eight points off Harvey Carey in the surge.

Unlike in Games 1 and 2, San Miguel dictated the tempo and Agustin had the edge in match-ups. He used a big lineup to engineer the decisive run with Arwind Santos, Peña, Ildefonso, Jay Washington and Cabagnot on the floor. Then, he went with a small cast featuring Dondon Hontiveros, Racela, Cabagnot, Washington and Ildefonso to stave off the Texters’ comeback. Agustin ended the third period with Peña, Cabagnot, Danny Seigle, Miranda and Sunday Salvacion on the court. Notice that the common denominator in those lineups was Cabagnot who alternated from off-guard to point guard depending on his teammates on the floor, not his defensive match-up. It was evident that Agustin jumped the gun on Talk ‘N’ Text coach Chot Reyes and didn’t just react to the Texters’ match-ups like in Games 1 and 2. He set the match-ups based on his game plan, not on Reyes’.

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In the fourth period, there was no holding back San Miguel. Talk ‘N’ Text brought in Emmerson Oreta and Gilbert Lao, later Mark Yee, all of whom hadn’t played in the series. Salvacion notched 11 of his 13 points in the last period, a fiery showing that reestablished his scoring sock – something Agustin will keep in mind today because the former College of St. Benilde star usually reserves his best on a Sunday.

Ryan Reyes is expected to suit up for the Texters tonight. He’s scheduled to fly in from Los Angeles early this morning. Jet lag normally kicks in two or three days after arriving from a different time zone so if Reyes slept long hours on flight, he should be ready to play in Game 4.

There’s no secret as to what San Miguel must do to level the series count. They’ve got to rebound ferociously, force turnovers, limit the Tropa’s possessions, sprint back on defense and clog the lane to prevent easy lay-ups. Agustin must be extremely creative in setting his match-ups. More than ever, the Beermen must play with a stronger sense of urgency. As for Talk ‘N’ Text, the Tropa must regain its aggressiveness, intensity and confidence in turning back San Miguel. Seigle and Salvacion were hurt in Game 3 and may not be at full strength tonight – it’s not even sure if they’ll play. San Miguel played 13 men in Game 3 with 12 logging at least 10 minutes. As it’s often been said, a war of attrition will favor the team with the deeper bench.

Joaquin Henson, Philippine Star