MANILA---Olsen Racela said in his retirement speech Wednesday night that he wants to have another championship before he hangs up his sneakers.
Last night, he made sure that San Miguel Beer stays on course in its bid for the Philippine Cup title.
The PBA’s oldest player starred in the most crucial plays of Game 4 of the best-of-seven series against Talk ’N Text, hitting four straight free throws inside the final 52.3 seconds to preserve a 91-87 victory and a 2-2 tie at the Araneta Coliseum.
“Kulang pa ng isa (I need one more), coach,” Racela had told Ato Agustin after his coach said that Olsen has won numerous championships and that his experience in those games is what the team needs now in a series this close.
Racela and another oldtimer, former two-time MVP Danny Ildefonso, were the biggest figures in the stretch for San Miguel, with Ildefonso hitting seven of his 17 points in the fourth quarter when the Tropang Texters gave spirited chase and almost pulled it out.
“You know Olsen, you can always count on him in situations like that,” Agustin later told reporters in Filipino while seated beside the 18-year veteran. “Whenever I need help, my captain always delivers.”
The four free throws were the only points that Racela scored in 13 minutes of relief work as he saved the Beermen from what could have been a monumental collapse after San Miguel blew a 17-point second quarter lead and a 76-61 bubble with 8:16 left to play.
“Now we know how to beat them,” Racela said. “It took us two games to figure it out and we just have to sustain it. The experience factor will come in with the series now tied.”
Ildefonso also grabbed eight rebounds even as Jay Washington, crowned as the tournament’s Best Player shortly before tip-off, led the Beermen with 25 points and six rebounds.
Arwind Santos had 18 points even without playing with the street game style he said he would show after Game 3.
What he had were two critical lapses that almost cost the Beermen the game only to make up for them by picking up a Jimmy Alapag pass that led to the first two Racela free throws that made it 89-85 with 52.3 left.
Harvey Carey then scored on a putback of a Ranidel De Ocampo three-pointer to shove the Texters within two.Then Racela missed a triple try on the other end that left 14.3 seconds on the clock and ample time for the Texters to tie it all up.
But De Ocampo threw up an off-balanced jumper with Dondon Hontiveros tapping the ball in the direction of Racela, who made a diving catch and was fouled by Jason Castro for the game-sealing charities.
De Ocampo paced the Texters with 19 points, Carey had 16 and 15 rebounds and Castro came alive in the fourth period to shoot 12 of his 14 and almost single-handedly carry Talk ‘N Text to victory.
“It’s obvious the last two games that they’ve really gotten our number,” Talk ‘N Text coach Chot Reyes said. “It’s up to us to find a way to score against their defense.”
Jimmy Alapag was a marked man right from tip-off and the wily Talk ‘N Text guard was held scoreless in the first two periods after being limited to just two forced attempts.
Alapag went on to finish with just nine points in 36 minutes.
San Miguel grabbed leads of as many as 17 points late in the second quarter as Sunday Salvacion, who sustained a head cut sustained in Game 3, jumpstarted the Beermen’s offense.
In just over two minutes on the floor, Salvacion hit a jumper and then a triple from deep left corner that opened up the Beermen’s first double-digit lead, 28-17 after just over a minute in the second period.
Agustin then pulled a rabbit out of his hat in Denok Miranda late in the quarter, and the former Far Eastern guard responded not only by sustaining the defense on Alapag but also contributing offensively.
The celebration actually started early for San Miguel after Washington won the Best Player of the Conference award over Carey.
Washington bagged a second straight BPC plum after tallying 1,393 points out of a total of 3407, with Carey totaling 728 and San Miguel’s Santos checking in third with 497 points.
The scores:
SAN MIGUEL 91—Washington 25, Santos 18, Ildefonso 17, Cabagnot 9, Salvacion 7, Racela 4, Pena 4, Hontiveros 3, Miranda 2, Aratadi 2, Yeo 0.
TALK ‘N TEXT 87—De Ocampo 19, Carey 16, Castro 14, Reyes 14, Alapag 9, Williams 6, Dillinger 4, Fonacier 3, Peek 2, Aban 0.
Quarters: 23-17, 42-31, 70-58, 91-87
Musong Castillo, Phil. Daily Inquirer
