Reyes probably had that in mind when the Texters opened a 2-0 advantage only for San Miguel Beer to level the series count at two wins apiece in the ongoing Philippine Cup finals. In Game 5 last Wednesday, Reyes knew his back was against the wall, that another setback could bring back the heartache of four years ago.

Working as a TV analyst, Alaska coach Tim Cone noticed the Tropa played uncomfortably tight in the first period, feeling the pressure of a must-win situation. If San Miguel won Game 5, it would’ve meant three losses in a row for Talk ‘N’ Text and a huge momentum boost for the Beermen to clinch in six – like Ginebra did in 2006-07.

It was Cone who pointed out the sense of urgency that eventually propelled Talk ‘N’ Text to victory last Wednesday. Reyes tweaked his starting lineup for Game 5, opening with Ali Peek at center, Jason Castro at point guard and Larry Fonacier at small forward. He surprised San Miguel coach Ato Agustin by not starting Ranidel de Ocampo, Jimmy Alapag and Jared Dillinger – who were in Reyes’ first five for Game 4. Reyes’ key adjustment was assigning Ryan Reyes on Arwind Santos at the three-spot. It was Santos who jacked up his numbers to fuel San Miguel’s comeback in Games 3 and 4. Alapag coming off the bench also avoided an early confrontation with the pesky Paul Artadi who got two quick fouls from the Mighty Mouse in the first period of Game 4.

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Agustin quickly sat down starter Danny Ildefonso when he saw Peek starting and brought in Dorian Peña for a more even match-up, weight-wise. The Texters groped for form in the early going as Reyes’ adjustments failed to produce positive results. Agustin pounced on the Tropa with a resolute defense and held the Texters to only 14 points in the first 12 minutes, shooting .227 from the field. Reyes, however, was far from finished.

He responded to the challenge by staking Talk ‘N’ Text’s fate on his guards – Alapag, Castro and Reyes. Playing together like panthers on the loose, the three guards combined for 24 of the Texters’ 38 points in the quarter to turn a 13-point deficit into an eight-point edge at the half.

The guards also anchored the Tropa’s defense, pressuring the San Miguel guards from end to end, giving Alex (The Crunchman) Cabagnot no room to breathe. Kelly Williams, for his part, hounded Jay Washington all over the court and took away the conference Best Player’s aggressiveness. It didn’t matter that Machine Gun fired only six points – his defensive intensity was more important. Talk ‘N’ Text opened the fourth quarter with a 10-point cushion and broke it open in the payoff period as Fonacier buried three treys in succession, De Ocampo erupted for nine of his 20 points and Dillinger notched seven of his nine.

Only three Texters scored in the last 12 minutes as Reyes shifted his offense from the backcourt to the frontline in icing the contest.

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The stats clearly showed Talk ‘N’ Text’s dominance. The Tropa had more turnover points, 18-10, more bench points, 48-19, more assists, 28-17, more free throws converted, 25-of-41 to 13-of-19 and less turnovers, 8-18. For San Miguel, the yardsticks indicated a breakdown in defense as Talk ‘N’ Text scored over 90 points and shot over 40 percent from the field. The Texters won, 99-77, and outhit San Miguel from the floor, .416 to .358. San Miguel collected 21 fouls with free throws compared to Talk ‘N’ Text’s 10, meaning the Beermen didn’t play defense the way they did in Games 3 and 4.

Reyes played Alapag and Castro more than usual. Their quickness was just too much for San Miguel to handle. The Maestro delivered 17 points, four rebounds and eight assists in 37 minutes while Alapag had 16 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists in 34. Reyes’ defense on Santos was another big factor in the Texters’ victory as the Spiderman was limited to 8-of-19 from the field. Cabagnot was held to 1-of-9 from the field.

Reyes said playing Alapag, Castro and Reyes together ignited the Tropa’s surge. “We had to do it,” said Reyes, explaining the guards’ extra minutes. “Santos got most of his points when Ryan was sitting down.” Cabagnot said San Miguel got “careless” but vowed to come back with a vengeance.

Tonight, Reyes will shoot for his sixth PBA title after two with the Purefoods franchise, two with Coca-Cola and one with the Texters. San Miguel will try to force a Game 7 on Sunday and reprise the defensive effort the Beermen displayed in tying the series.

Joaquin Henson, Philippine Star