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Texters look to end first round with a bang
Cebu Daily News, Philippine Daily Inquirer
THE DEFENDING champions Talk N Text Tropang Texters will be more than happy to finish third at the end of the first round
of elimination of the 35th PBA Philippine Cup.
With this, expect the Tropang Texters to go all out when they take on the unpredictable Burger King Whoppers today at the
Araneta Coliseum.
The Texters, the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings and the Sta. Lucia Realtors crowd the third spot of the standings with similar
5-3 (win-loss) records.
The three teams trail the Alaska Aces and the San Miguel Beermen, who finished the initial round with 8-1 and 7-2 records,
respectively.
Talk N Text bounced back strong from a sorry 110-106 loss to Alaska with an 87-72 win over the undermanned Kings last
Wednesday night.
"Coming to this game, we're 4-3 and we thought if we can find a way to win our next two games, we'll just be a game behind
the second placer after the first round of the elims. That's not bad," Talk N Text coach Chot Reyes told pba.ph moment after
the victory.
Led by Jared Dillinger, the Texters pounced on the depleted lineup of the Kings who played without the dangerous tandem
of Jay-jay Helterbrand and Mark Caguiao.
"We got a break when Jayjay (Helterbrand) couldn't play. We talked about using Jayjay's absence as an advantage," Reyes
added. "Malaking bagay yung wala sa kanila si Jayjay at Mark Caguioa. Good for at least 50 points yun dalawang yon."
The Kings' lineup further decimated when point guard Celino Cruz suffered a fractured left hand late in the first half.
Because of the lack of manpower, the Kings plucked Johnny Abarrientos from the reserve list.
Abarrientos, the 1996 MVP awardee, marked his second game this season with three steals, three rebounds, two points
and two assists in 18 minutes of play.
The Kings will try to overcome a depleted lineup once more when they play the Coca-Cola Tigers in the main game.
The Tigers are on a four-game losing streak and are mired at the bottom of the standings with a dismal 1-7 record.
Burger King, on the other hand, is slowly working its way up, winning its last two games for a 3-5 slate.
Cebu Daily News, Philippine Daily Inquirer
THE DEFENDING champions Talk N Text Tropang Texters will be more than happy to finish third at the end of the first round
of elimination of the 35th PBA Philippine Cup.
With this, expect the Tropang Texters to go all out when they take on the unpredictable Burger King Whoppers today at the
Araneta Coliseum.
The Texters, the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings and the Sta. Lucia Realtors crowd the third spot of the standings with similar
5-3 (win-loss) records.
The three teams trail the Alaska Aces and the San Miguel Beermen, who finished the initial round with 8-1 and 7-2 records,
respectively.
Talk N Text bounced back strong from a sorry 110-106 loss to Alaska with an 87-72 win over the undermanned Kings last
Wednesday night.
"Coming to this game, we're 4-3 and we thought if we can find a way to win our next two games, we'll just be a game behind
the second placer after the first round of the elims. That's not bad," Talk N Text coach Chot Reyes told pba.ph moment after
the victory.
Led by Jared Dillinger, the Texters pounced on the depleted lineup of the Kings who played without the dangerous tandem
of Jay-jay Helterbrand and Mark Caguiao.
"We got a break when Jayjay (Helterbrand) couldn't play. We talked about using Jayjay's absence as an advantage," Reyes
added. "Malaking bagay yung wala sa kanila si Jayjay at Mark Caguioa. Good for at least 50 points yun dalawang yon."
The Kings' lineup further decimated when point guard Celino Cruz suffered a fractured left hand late in the first half.
Because of the lack of manpower, the Kings plucked Johnny Abarrientos from the reserve list.
Abarrientos, the 1996 MVP awardee, marked his second game this season with three steals, three rebounds, two points
and two assists in 18 minutes of play.
The Kings will try to overcome a depleted lineup once more when they play the Coca-Cola Tigers in the main game.
The Tigers are on a four-game losing streak and are mired at the bottom of the standings with a dismal 1-7 record.
Burger King, on the other hand, is slowly working its way up, winning its last two games for a 3-5 slate.