MANILA---Talk ‘N Text and Barangay Ginebra try to close out separate foes today and arrange a dream title series for the import-spiced crown of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
The heavily favored Tropang Texters get going at 5 p.m.opposite a shell-shocked Air21 side before the Gin Kings battle the Smart Gilas National five in the 7:30 p.m. nightcap.
The Texters and the Kings tote 2-0 records with TNT expected to make it three straight against an Air21 squad whose coach, Bong Ramos, has practically conceded defeat.
“We tried going small and tried going big but nothing happened,” Ramos said after a second straight lopsided loss Sunday night. “They were too quick for us and I commend them (Texters) for playing with so much hunger.
“They are really a championship-caliber team,” he added.
But Ginebra’s Jong Uichico, whose Kings are on a surprising playoff run, says the Nationals are far from finished.
“Every win is good and it is good to be 2-0 up,” Uichico told reporters shortly after a 110-103 Game 2 win. “But every coach will say this in a best-of-five series: It takes three wins to [close out] a series.
“It’s really far from over,” added Uichico, whose last title with the Kings came in 2008, when Ginebra paraded 7-foot Chris Alexander as its import. “We have to keep our emotions down. We still have a job to do. There’s still no reason to celebrate.”
Nate Brumfield will again try to carry the fight for the Kings, and it will be up for Smart-Gilas coach Rajko Toroman to devise a plan to stop the short but burly Ginebra import from dominating.
Last Sunday, Brumfield scored a season-high 45 points that included 23 free throws, the bonus he got for relentlessly attacking the Smart-Gilas defense anchored on 6-foot-10 naturalized player Marcus Douthit.
Toroman actually wondered how Brumfield collected so many fouls. Brumfield had 27 free throw attempts, which was the same total awarded to the Nationals.
“I don’t know what defense we will play when one player takes 27 free throws,” Toroman said. “I don’t know what a foul is and what is not, every penetration (for Brumfield) is a foul (for Brumfield).
“We are supposed to be the team which has to have more free throws because we have the bigger players,” he continued. “But we still have a chance to continue (prolong) the series (with a Game 3 win).”
Musong Castillo, Inquirer.net
