There's a button somewhere. Cleverly hidden under the seats on the Talk 'N Text bench, there's a button. At least that's what I suspect. In Games 3 and 4, someone accidentally pressed it and turned the Texters' high-octane game off. Pffft. Power gone. Combustion off. And all Talk 'N Text offered in two losses (even until the end of the first quarter of Game 5) was static. Hyperactive yet meaningless static. Then, in the second period of Game 5, someone finally remembered to press the button or flick the switch. The signal returned. San Miguel suddenly felt every bump of the shoulder, every push from behind in high definition. After scoring just 14 points in the first period, when Talk 'N Text looked tighter than an unopened jar of peanut butter, TNT broke loose. Not like racehorses exploding out of the gate. More like a football team, complete with helmets, shoulder-pads, bloody noses and broken teeth, launching an unstoppable drive to the end-zone.
Jimmy Alapag (who else) led the Texters' march downfield like a Superbowl quarterback. He found his receivers, completed long bombs, made the right decisions, crafted big plays. He scored 12 second-quarter points, including three 3-point shots, four assists and not a single error, in 11 minutes. That's how you lead fury by example. Under Alapag's supervision, TNT shot 67% from the field and scored a series-high 38 points in the second period.
In contrast, San Miguel, stalked by TNT's cheek-to-cheek defense, made just 7 out of 20 FG attempts in the second quarter. It was brutal. Lay-ups were contested. Hard fouls became the standard. Ryan Reyes almost tore Arwind Santos's arm off. Ali Peek gave Dorian Pena the bear-hug of the night. While San Miguel faltered in the heat of hand-to-hand combat, TNT flourished in the pace of a dash and smash game.
San Miguel probably felt they were back in Victorias City, back when they were gasping for air and running on fumes. Only three Beermen finished Game 5 in double figures. The team shot 36% for the night. TNT's defense hardly allowed San Miguel's ball-carriers to rest, never allowed San Miguel's veterans to inspire. It was San Miguel's turn to look for their own switch. It was their turn to ask if anyone on the bench pressed the magic button by mistake.
San Miguel's old school magic disappeared in Game 5. Sorry Olsen. Sorry Danny I. Game 5 was about muscle and mayhem - and I mean that in a good way. Because Talk 'N Text decided; no more nostalgia, no more mister nice guy. After all, even a good guy like Dondon Hontiveros was kissing the floor. Talk 'N Text now leads the series, 3-2, because a team of Jimmy Alapags, Jason Castros, Randy Coutures and Chuck Liddells finally remembered that they weren't meant to be bullied. They were designed to bully, to push back and not to be pushed around.
Mico Halili, GMA News TV
