One of the former stalwarts of the Purefoods champion team in the PBA Jerry Codinera will hold his 2^nd basketball camp in April.

Codinera who belonged to a squad that was anchored around four-time MVP Alvin Patrimonio, Jojo Lastimosa and Glenn Capacio in the heyday of the Purefoods franchise, was regarded as one of finest defensive players in the pro league and earned the monicker “Defense Minister.”

He was also one of the most popular and well-liked players in the PBA and had a rare passion for the sport.

The camp which will open on April 5 will be held at the Palms Country Club in Alabang.

Purefoods, playing with intensity and a great deal of committed passion, relived PBA history with a four-game sweep of the fancied  Alaska Aces 86-76 to win the KFC PBA Philippine Cup before a huge crowd at the Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday.

Youthful coach Ryan Gregorio did what’s he’s done all conference long by effectively riding the backs of his most trusted men to seal the deal that stunned most pundits by the seeming ease with which it was achieved especially in the final game.

The game-deciding referee’s call in Game 2 which undercut Alaska’s chance to forge a 1-1 deadlock was almost totally forgotten by the dominance of Purefoods in the final game and the patently visible desire of its players to win in contrast with a lackadaisical  Alaska side where there seemed to be no aces and no c elebrated “Miller Time” no matter what the banners of the Alaska faithful reflected .

The “Best Player of the Conference”, the redoubtable James Yap and his namesake and backcourt partner Roger Yap turned in big games with James also winning the Press Corps award as the Finals Most Valuable Player.

James finished with 18 points but one move in the third quarter where he took Willie Miller to school accentuated his skill and his will to win. His seven points in the final quarter helped thwart any hopes that coach Tim Cone had of his players clawing  back,  although a mighty, buzzer-beating heave by  L.A.Tenorio to tie the halftime score at 40-40 provided a glimmer of hope that Alaska could keep the serried alive.

 Roger Yap put on his own brand of basketball to finish his own sterling series with 16 points as well as team-highs of nine rebounds and six assists.

Purefoods in winning its eighth PBA title and fifth All Filipino crown tied the fabled Crispa Redmanizers of the glory days of the pro league in the most import-less  championships won.

An emotional embrace by team manager and incoming PBA chairman Rene Pardo and coach Gregorio at the end of the game summed up the road to glory for Purefoods.  

Gregorio  said later  “Chapter closed, destination reached. Now we can celebrate.”

The victory became all the more memorable by the fact that  Purefoods ended the conference with seven straight sometimes gripping victories which contrasted sharply with its  rollercoaster start when it finished the first round of the eliminations with a 4-4 win-loss card.

Gregorio noted , “This is really close to impossible but we did it.”

For Alaska,   Sonny Thoss finished with game highs of 19 points and 12 rebounds while Willie Miller and LA Tenorio had at least 11 points each, but the failure of Alaska to come up with a more balanced offensive while matching Purefoods’ lockdown defense spelled doom.

The loss must hurt coach Cone who has never lost four games in a row in a finals which appeared unthinkable after  the Aces finished No. 1 after the elims and swept Barangay Ginebra in the semifinals.

But while Cone was denied his 13th title, Gregorio finally followed up his championships in the 2002 Governors Cup and ’06 Philippine Cup which was the last time the Giants won a title.

 Great Taste, the John Gokongwei franchise  was the last to team to achieve a sweep in an All-Filipino Finals, needing just three games against Hills Bros in 1987 while  RFM Corporation’s  Swift was the last to carve a four-game sweep in the finals, against Seven-Up in the 1992 Third Conference.

The possibility of a sweep by Purefoods suddenly emerged as real when the San Miguel Corporation owned squad moved ahead for  good in the fourth period, erecting a 75-63 lead before fully dashing Alaska’s hopes with an 84-76 lead in the last 1:48 off a James Yap triple.

Gregorio paid tribute to King James saying “We needed someone to put the final touches, and James provided that with his three-point shot. It’s truly a miraculous ride for us and I’m so happy to be with this Purefoods franchise.”

Picking up from where it left off, Alaska finally managed to start a quarter right when it raced to several four-point leads in the third, the last at 48-44. But it lost its initiative when it went blank for more than four minutes, giving Purefoods the momentum to take the period 65-58. In that crucial stretch, the Aces muffed five charity tries, two field goal attempts and turned the ball over thrice while Rico Maierhofer , showing remarkable intensity and poise for a rookie, repeated his Game 3 performance by scoring seven  points in a crucial stretch in the third quarter.

Alaska clawed back Behind Tony dela Cruz to come to within two points at 57-59, but PJ Simon drained a trey and KG Canaleta completed a three-point play as the Giants took a seven-point cushion into  the last 12 minutes of play.

Purefoods seemed poised to pounce on Alaska’s jugular right in the second quarter when it took a 35-22 lead, but backed off uncharacteristically and  allowed the Aces to score the last 10 points of the period for a 40-all count at the half. Alaska’s fight for survival took the form of an aggressive stance from the get-go, but produced some unpleasant results in the early goings. After falling behind by 4-11 and crawling back to within 10-11, the Aces were called for four straight offensive fouls, enabling the Giants to pull away anew and take the opening period 21-15.

Officiating once again came into question and Cone was properly  infuriated by a charging foul  slapped on Reynaldo Hugnatan, causing him to enter the court and protest to the referees, netting him a technical foul in the process. When the next offensive call was made against Thoss, Cone could only smile, realizing he was in a losing battle.

 Purefoods 86 - Yap, J. 18, Yap, R. 16, Raymundo 13, Maierhofer 12, Pingris 9, Simon 5, Reavis 5, Canaleta 3, Artadi 3, Salvador 2, Allado 0.

 Alaska 76 - Thoss 19, Miller 17, Tenorio 11, Hugnatan 9, Cariaso 5, De Vance 4, Fonacier 4, Dela Cruz 4, Ferriols 2, Cablay 1, Borboran 0.

 Quarters: 21-15, 40-40, 65-58,

When the report that the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines was interested in recruiting colorful and powerfully-built center Alex Crisano of the PBA surfaced in the popular weekly dzMM Teleradyo program “Sports Talk” hosted by former Sen. Freddie Webb last Saturday, the consensus of the panel which included Jasmin Romero and this reporter was “its a little too late” since Crisano is 34 years old.

Crisano himself has confirmed the assessment saying “its a bit too late for me” adding that he could have given the ABAP “a straight yes earlier in my life.”

It was ABAP secretary general Pato Gregorio who broached the idea of recruiting Crisano for the  national pool and a possible stint in the Asian Games later this year after Crisano was cut by the Red Bull PBA team.

Gregorio was quoted as saying that the ABAP thinks the best source of potential heavyweight gold medallists is in the PBA given the right training and international exposure. A few years ago we approached bull-strong Ali Peek about the possibility of joining the Philippine boxing team for the Southeast Asian Games but he was at the peak of his career at that time and his PBA schedule would not allow him to spend time training.

Crisano, according to Robert Pangilinan of GTC Sports  said he was thankful for the challenge but he wants to play pro basketball for a few more years.

The 6’7”, 240 pound  Crisano used to train in a Brooklyn Gym when he was a 17 year old youngster but concedes that its too late for him to return to the sport at his age.

Crisano reportedly spoke to ABAP executive director Ed Picson and thanked him for the offger but indicated he feels his basketball career is not yet over and he is looking to join either Coca Cola or Rain or Shine in the PBA.

In the current conference Crisano averaged almost 9.0 points and over 6.0 rebounds a game.

Kerby Raymundo, drawing a crucial foul from Joe Devance with 1.7 seconds to go, knocked in the deciding free throw as Purefoods salvaged an 86-85 win over Alaska Milk in Game Two of the KFC PBA Philippine Cup Finals at the Araneta Coliseum Friday night.

The Giants squandered a 48-39 halftime lead but recovered in the nick of time, making it two-zero in their best-of-seven championship showdown.

“We really fought hard to come back. We’re down by 14 but we didn’t give up and kept on playing. We had a chance in the end and we grabbed the opportunity,” said Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio.

“We’re able to weather the storm despite LA Tenorio’s shining moment. Brandon Cablay also played big but we didn’t let that affect us. That showed the mental stability we have in our team,” Gregorio added.

On the crucial foul called by referee Raymundo Maurillo in the dying seconds, Gregorio said: “It’s one of those calls which are game-altering whether called or not.”

“We’re lucky it’s called (on Raymundo’s favor),” Gregorio added.

Purefoods went up by one as Raymundo made the first free throw and eventually won the game with the time expiring with the two teams fighting for the looseball after Raymundo missed the second shot.

The Giants, drawing a personally conference high of 32 points from James Yap, stretched their streak to five games dating back to their semis playoff with the San Miguel Beermen.

Gregorio said they have no intention of slowing down.

“We’re happy we’re 2-0 up but we’re not satisfied,” said the youthful Purefoods mentor.

Yap, Raymundo, Rico Maierhofer and Reavis teamed up in a mighty siege that had Purefoods overcoming a 64-78 deficit in the last five minutes of play.

Alaska shrugged off a slow start, riding the exploits of its guards as it waged a second-half chase, establishing the commanding spread.

Willie Miller brought Alaska back in the game in the third quarter then Tenorio and Cablay took over in the fourth before the Giants had their own rally.

Yap highlighted his 32-point explosion with back-to-back three-pointers that sparked the fightback sending Giants back on top at 85-84 with 14.3 ticks left.

Devance sank a free throw off a foul by Rafi Reavis as the Aces tied the count at 85-all nine seconds later.

The Giants came out bristling, hitting at a 50-percent clip to take the first half at 48-38.

Imposing their game early, the Giants took control at the onset, dominating the first half though beaten in rebounding.

The Aces suffered an early bad break with Sonny Thoss picking three fouls right in the first quarter and getting another one upon his return to the floor in the second period.

Reavis went to work early, attacking Thoss’ defense as he piled up nine points, one rebound and one assists in the first quarter which ended in their favor at 28-18.

James Yap also came out with his guns ablaze, firing eight points in the opening canto and rifling in nine in the next period.

The Giants worked efficiently together on defense, forcing the Aces to 15 errors in the first 24 minutes of play. Purefoods beat Alaska by 17 points, 22-5, off turnovers. (SB)

The scores:

Purefoods 86 - Yap J. 32, Reavis 17, Reymundo 14, Allado 5, Maierhofer 4, Canaleta 4, Artadi 4, Pingris 3, Yap R. 3, Simon 0, Adducul 0.

Alaska 85 - Tenorio 19, De VAnce 12, Miller 12, Dela Cruz 9, Thoss 8, Ferriols 8, Cablay 8, Hugnatan 6, Borboran 3, Fonacier 0, Cariaso 0.

Quarters: 28-18, 48-39, 57-62, 86-85.

Well-rested after a two-week break apparently made a whole lot of difference for the Alaska Aces in their first playoff meeting with the Barangay Ginebra Kings in 13 years.
 Four of Alaska’s starters racked up double-digit scores in the Aces’ lopsided victory, a 104-79 pouncing of the weary Kings in Game One of the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series at the Araneta Coliseum.

 Fully recharged and armed with fresh legs that enabled them to run for 48 minutes, the Aces dictated the tempo and never relinquished the lead when Joe Devance knocked in Alaska’s first basket – a 3-pointer – 52 seconds into the game. Alaska coach Tim Cone said he wasn’t surprised that the Kings had a tough time keeping up with them, citing the five tough games the Ginebra went through against Talk ‘N Text in the quarterfinals.

“Obviously they were drained. We’re quite lucky we didn’t have to go through it (quarterfinals). But I’m sure they’ll get back in Game 2,” Cone said. The last time these two teams met in playoff series was during the 1997 Commissioner’s Cup Finals won by Gordon’s Gin in six games.

 During their sabbatical, Cone said his team did nothing but to practice among themselves and he was amazed that the Aces managed to keep themselves in game shape. “I really felt good after the break. You can stay competitive as long as you keep competing. But all we did during the break was to practice among ourselves. So I’m really pleased that our guys managed to keep their competitive edge,” Cone said.

 Apart from being sharp, the Aces also hit their shots while the Kings kept on missing theirs. Alaska also handled the pressure well when Ginebra applied it at times. Cone though dismissed the notion that they have the edge in the series after taking the opener. “We’re one up, but this means nothing. We hope we could build on this one. We know what Ginebra is like, We know what Jong (Uichico) is like. They never panic,” Cone noted.

 Sonny Thoss and Joe Devance were in their best element in the opener, turning a double-double performance. Thoss showed the way for Alaska with a conference-high 21 points and had 11 boards while Devance added 20 and a career second-best 18 rebounds. LA Tenorio accounted for 19 points that went with his six assists and two steals and Tony dela Cruz shipped in 10 and three assists for the Aces, who shot 49 percent (42 of 85) and outrebounded the Kings, 59-40.

 Miller contributed just four markers but had five assists and made his teammates look better. Shooting 50 percent in the second quarter, Alaska outscored Barangay Ginebra, 26-18, and led by 20 points at halftime. “Obviously, we were a step slower. The series with Talk ‘N Text really drained us physically and emotionally,” said Barangay Ginebra coach Jong Uichico.

 Things turned sour for the Kings early when guard Celino Cruz, left the court, with still four minutes left in the opening quarter after hurting his right ankle while going for a drive in traffic. He sat out the rest of the game. Although he gave no alibi for the loss, Uichico said he was disappointed that there were players in his team who didn’t have the heart fight when the going gets tough. He mentioned no names though.

 The scores: Alaska 104 - Thoss 21, De Vance 20, Tenorio 19, Dela Cruz 10, Borboran 8, Hugnatan 8, Fonacier 7, Miller 4, Cariaso 4, Cablay 3, Ferriols 0.

Ginebra 79 - Caguioa 23, Salvacion 14, Tubid 8, Baguio 8, Intal 7, White 6, Wilson 4, Menk 3, Mamaril 2, Villanueva 2, Helterbrand 2, Cruz 0. Quarterscores: 29-17, 55-35, 78-62, 104-7

PBA officials can gloat all they want over the success in packing the Araneta Coliseum on Sunday with over 21,000 fans but that wasn’t unexpected considering the fact that Ginebra and Purefoods are the two most popular teams in the league with a rabid following and because it was sudden death in both games, the faithful came out in droves.

But in the end, while PBA chairman Lito Alvarez, Commissioner Sonny Barrios and finance man Jimmy Sunglao may be on cloud nine as the cash registers jingled, they better realize that the ends do not justify the means if they can appreciate the implications of what we are saying.

In any endeavor, most of all in sports, integrity must remain non-negotiable. But sad to say, there are several instances of sullied integrity in the pro league where the quality of wholeness is often non-existent and a penchant to cover-up shenannigans as in an old boys club takes place..

My favorite team from the days of the “Living Legend” Robert Jaworski, Ginebra,  deserved to win Game 5 but whether they deserved to win games three and four aided by the Talk N’ Text walkout last Friday is at the very least questionable.

The statistics cited by coach Chot Reyes are hard to refute even though JongUichico tried hard and did a decent job at it. One has to look at the games in their totality to appreciate what has been happening in this league in the recent past in particular and understand the background. Having been associated with the PBA since its inception in 1975 and involved in a small way with the eminent lawyer-sportsman Rudy Salud in pinning down corrupt referees whom he didn’t hesitate to fire the moment he assumed office, we know whereof we speak.

When the no-nonsense Salud fired 50 percent of the referees either for their lack of integrity or incompetence, it told a tale of sordid happenings of gambling syndicates and game fixing.

In the Talk N’ Text – Ginebra game several people told us that the Flagrant Foul 2 call by Trongy Aldaba that resulted in a key player, Ranidel de Ocampo being ejected and suspended from playing in Game 5 which hurt Talk N’ Text no end, took several minutes. That the referee kept looking up to where Commissioner Sonny Barrios and officials consultant Romy Guevara were seated raised suspicions, unfairly perhaps,  that the referee was waiting for a signal on what call to make.

Commissioner Barrios is reported to have said that he couldn’t alter the call because it was a judgment call. Wasn’t he the one who upgraded a Flagrant Foul 1 to 2 slapped on James Yap in the last conference?

But what we felt was in a sense out of order was for Robert Non who is the Ginebra alternate governor although he is often known to speak for San Miguel Beer,  to lecture Talk N’ Text coach Chot Reyes saying Chot’s quoting of statistics was a lame excuse to justify the walkout. And that there are ways to voice their displeasure, if there is reason to do so, and not finishing the game is not one of them. He said “its unjust to the fans, unfair to the PBA organization, unprofessional for a professional team like Talk N’ Text and unsportsmanlike.”

This sportsmanship bit is being milked to the limit. If a team is being virtually screwed by the referees day in and day out, to continue to play instead of making a dramatic statement to draw attention to the irregularity would mean being a willing victim and in effect party to a crime.Remember Ginebra did it several years ago when the respected Bernabe Navarro said integrity was more important than participating in a charade.

As for the  statistic that Ginebra is the team that fouls the least as evidenced by the stats Non quoted…that is precisely the point!. Ginebra has been pampered all along in recent years. With attendance figures down rather dramatically and TV ratings also taking a dive, giving our friends from  Solar Sports nightmares in trying to recover their substantial investment, it seems the only way to turn the situation around was to ensure that the most popular team survives.

We are nonplussed by Mr. Non’s lecture on sportsmanship. Does he honestly believe that it serves the sportsmanship he espouses to have three teams in a league of ten teams which is now further dramatized by the fact that three of the four teams in the semi finals are owned by the same corporation turning the semis into what looks like an inter-department tournament?

Was it sportsmanlike for San Miguel Beer, the champions of the last conference to buy such an outstanding player as Arwind Santos to further reinforce a champion team. Santos incidentally was No.2 in statistics in the MVP race. Is this what you call maintaining competitive balance and having the best interests of the league in mind?  And wasn’t the San Miguel Corporation trying hard to even get Japeth Aguilar after Burger King drafted him and before they peddled him to Talk N’ Text who, in fairness to them kept their word and released Japeth to the Smart Gilas national team?.

Earlier in the conference there were rows and rows of empty seats and our longtime friend and PBA lover, former Pasig Mayor Mario Raymundo often looked a forlorn figure as he faithfully watched the games hoping that something would happen to bring the fans back and keep the league alive. It has happened or has been made to happen and as we understand in the process saved the necks of one or two individuals in the league. Question is, at what price?

Barangay Ginebra squandered a 13-point halftime lead but outfought Talk n Text in a battle down the stretch, foiling the Tropang Texters’ sweep bid with a 102-97 victory Wednesday night in their KFC PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals showdown at the Araneta Coliseum.

Purefoods has the talent to beat Rain or Shine which has problems closing out what often seems like a won game but Ginebra, considering its depleted line-up due to injuries, clearly needs some help to get into the semis so the PBA coffers will ring.

What better place to get it than from the game officials whose supervisor is a weakling, whose consultant had ties and perhaps still has ties with the San Miguel Corporation and referees like Trongy Aldaba who thinks he is God’s gift to officiating but whose calls favoring a chosen team stink like a sewer. We recall that some years ago Red Bull coach Yeng G uiao and his team walked out precisely because of the officiating of Aldaba in a – you guessed it – Ginebra game.

We have through the years openly admitted to being a fan of Ginebra from the days of the “Living Legend” Robert Jaworski. But we could never stomach flagrant cheating even if it helped Ginebra because it undermines the very foundations of the sport and of the league that was indeed a part of our life..

For months we have stayed away from the PBA and not even followed its games despite the regular appeals from our respected and longtime friend- former Pasig Mayor Mario Raymundo to join his forlorn figure along Commissioner’s Row.

Since we have been involved with the PBA from its inception in 1975 but were treated shabbily by the PBA over the Japeth Aguilar case and told bluntly by some uneducated slob of a functionary in the Commissioner’s Office that we could no longer sit in the Commissioner’s Row in a seat we had occupied for over 20 years, we did the respectable thing and stopped watching the games and even stopped following the action on television.

We know for a fact that our friends from Solar Sports are bleeding because they offered too much for a product that has almost totally lost its attraction and its drawing power with plunging TV ratings and poor attendance figures compared to the glory days of the Crispa-Toyota rivalry and the Jaworski-Mon Fernandez era when the PBA became an integral part of the everyday lives of millions of Filipinos.

Even the game photos emailed to various newspapers and sports internet sites these days often show rows and rows of empty seats demonstrating not how poor our people are but how much the PBA product has degenerated and to what extent the league’s integrity has been sullied.

When three teams owned by one corporation are in contention for four semi final berths you can understand to what extent the league’s integrity has been undermined. On top of that when it becomes patently clear that the dice are being stacked against teams vying to get the better of them, you certainly cannot expect the public to support the league. Filipino basketball fans are among the most discerning and knowledgeable in the world and they can smell a fix when they see one, no matter how PBA officials strive to deodorize the stink.

Emotions aside, lets look at the statistics for, after all, statistics play a vital role even in the determination of the various player awards each year. And for this we must commend coach Chot Reyes whose straightforward presentation on television was telling in its effect especially after our good friend Jong Uichico, the Ginebra coach who is a truly decent individual appeared more embarrassed than anything else

Read and be properly amazed.

In the series between Purefoods and Rain or Shine, Purefoods was awarded 79 free throws and Rain or Shine 73. Fine. In the Ginebra-Talk N’ Text series, the Tropang Texters were awarded 80 free throws in three games and Ginebra 126 or a difference of 46 free throws in three games which meant more than 15 per game!

In the first ten minutes of Game 4, Ginebra was given 18 free throws to 5 for Talk N’ Text. Amazing? Not yet. In total, in three games and ten minutes Ginebra got 144 free throws to 85 or a difference of 59. Unbelievable but true.

The hack argument that Ginebra players love to drive to the basket and therefore get fouled won’t wash because Ginebra took 25 more three-point shots in the three games. In the aborted Game 4, Ginebra had already taken 4 more three point shots than Talk N’ Text. Logically you cannot be fouled driving to the basket if your are attempting triples.

How in the name of sanity can Barrios and his officials explain this? No way!

We were writing a Pacquiao story when we received a call asking us to watch TV to find out what happened in the PBA. When we tuned in we were subject to a pathetic effort to defend the call and to criticize Talk N’ Text for walking out with claims that the people paid good money to watch the games. Damn right. But they paid good money to watch a game played with the highest standards of integrity not to watch the PBA referees fix the game in favor of a chosen team, apparently blessed by the gods of the PBA!

The throwing out of Ranidel de Ocampo was scandalous. We watched the replay a couple of times and at the very most it could have been a Flagrant Foul 1. Certainly not Flagrant Foul 2. And to think that the referees review the action on a TV monitor, assisted by their supervisor Ramil Cruz before deciding on what the call should be. To have reviewed the tape and then called a Flagrant Foul 2 which meant the ejection of De Ocampo who automatically cannot play in the deciding Game 5, was obscene. If that call alone was not loaded with an element of game fixing we don’t know what is! Based on this alone Cruz and the referee who decided the call should be fired. How we wish Rudy Salud was Commissioner or even his son, Atty. Chito Salud. Such travesties would never have been tolerated. But then, the PBA board of governors made the choice and now have to suffer for their blunders.

It is interesting to note the criticism leveled against Talk N’ Text for the walkout. To us – and we could be wrong – it seems intrinsically more honorable than continuing to play and to be a willing victim and party to a crime. Let the PBA officials now gloat over their success in finding an easier way to gift Ginebra with a victory which they, the PBA, wanted so badly because the bottom line means more money for the league whose resources are rapidly being dissipated.

Its worth remembering that Ginebra did the same thing years ago in a championship series against Shell at the Ultra and then manager and La Tondena governor Bernabe Navarro effectively said to hell with the fine, a walkout was the honorable action to take.

The walkout will have a price which Talk N’ Text will probably have to pay, depending on how Commissioner Barrios feels or how he may seek to justify his actions. But the bigger price will certainly be paid by the league itself in the further erosion of its credibility.

The only way the PBA board of governors can salvage the situation which is spiraling out of control and into the depths, is to undertake a top-to-bottom revamp. Fire the wimps and the incompetent if not corrupt officials. Recruit men of integrity who will stand up for their rights and what is right, and not individuals who will play favorites or compromise.

Talk N’ Text survived Barangay Ginebra’s spirited second half comeback to hammer out a 107-92 victory Friday night to gain the early edge in their best-of-five quarterfinal series in the KFC PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

Jason Castro paced five other players in double digits with 20 points he spiked with seven rebounds, four steals, two assists, two rebounds and a block to give the Tropang Texters a 1-0 edge. Jimmy Alapag chipped in 19 points while Harvey Carey, Mark Cardona, Jared Dillinger and Ali Peek had 13, 12, 11 and 10 points, respectively. JC Intal spearheaded the Kings with 19 points.

The Kings unloaded a 13-9 exchange Celino Cruz capped with a wide-open layup off a steal from Alapag to close the gap at 84-89 with eight minutes left in the match. But the Tropang Texters recovered their wits and  instantly quashed it with a backbreaking run that secured the win.

Rico Villanueva and Cyrus Baguio whipped up a third quarter storm as the two willed the Kings back to within a more manageable 65-71 deficit with a little less than five minutes left in the period. Villanueva erupted for 13 points while Baguio 10 including an acrobatic shot in one blistering stretch of the last quarter. The Tropang Texters seemed to have all the answers though and kept their heads above water, keeping a precarious 80-71 lead going into the final 12 minutes.

 Alapag and Castro went on attack mode early exploded with a combined 26-point effort as the Tropang Texters seized a 57-31 lead and total control at the break. Alapag drained all his first four attempts from behind the arc while Castro had an impeccable shooting start—four-of-four from the field and three-of-three from the free throw line—with 12 points in the first half. So overpowering was Talk N’ Text that it led by as much as 22 points in the second quarter and appeared headed to a surprisingly lopsided victory.

 Intal and Willy Wilson, for their part, led the Kings early with 12 and 10 points, respectively, but their performances were buried under the avalanche created by the prolific pair of Alapag and Castro.

 The scores: Talk N’ Text 107- Castro 20, Alapag 19, Carey 13, Cardona 12, Dilinger 11, Peek 10, R. de Ocampo 8, Belasco 6, de Guzman 4, Ritualo 2, Y. de Ocampo 0

Ginebra 92- Intal 19, Villanueva 16, Baguio 12, Salvacion 12, Wilson 11, Cruz 10, White 6, Tubid 2, Mamaril 2, Menk 2, Caguioa 0, Abarrientos 0 Quarterscores: 26-20; 57-38; 80-71; 107-92