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Aces battle Texters
By: Zean Macamay, Journal Online
ALASKA survived powerhouse San Miguel Beer for reasons coach Tim Cone couldn’t explain. This time, the Aces will have to
figure a way out to get by Talk ‘N Text.
Maybe, just maybe, Willie Miller can provide the answer.
“We figured out a way to beat San Miguel. I don’t know how we did it but we figured out a way,” said Cone. “Now we got to go
out and figure out a way to beat Talk ‘N Text.”
The league leaders shoot for their 11th win today against one of the teams Cone thinks is capable of tearing them down to
pieces in the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
“We know that if we’re not focused, they can embarrass us,” said Cone of the Tropang Texters. “They are that good.”
Talk ‘N Text, though, wasn’t good enough when these two teams – finalists of this same conference last season – met in
the first round. Alaska was the more solid ball club down the stretch, carving out a 110-106 win in a game where Miller stood
out (20 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists).
The two-time MVP, however, wasn’t in the game mentally when Alaska squared off with San Miguel last Dec. 9. Miller shot a
miserable 1-of-9 from the field and merely ended up with 4 points, yet that didn’t pull the Aces out of focus and were still able
to drop the Beermen 122-116 in overtime.
“Talk ‘N Text is going to be tough,” said Cone. “We played just recently so both teams are going to have fresh memories of
how they played.”
Alaska won that game despite getting outrebounded big time, 53-39. What the Aces did right was to shoot splendidly from
the field, clipping close to 52 percent by making 43 of their 83 attempts.
TNT coach Chot Reyes realizes that Alaska is playing its best these days, which is why he feels that nothing less than their A-
game should be unleashed if ever they want to figure competitively for one of two outright semi-finals berth.
“We’re playing the best team so it will take nothing less than out best to prove that we can compete with the bog boys,” said
Reyes.
Like the Aces, the Texters are coming off a win. They beat Burger King last Dec. 4 where Mac-Mac Cardona scored 32 points.
A victory by the Texters will at least give them a share of third spot, or even snatch it solo if ever Ginebra falls to Sta. Lucia
Realty in the second game.
The Gin Kings dropped a humiliating 93-72 game to the Realtors the first they met last Nov. 18. Sta. Lucia dominated the
battle off the boards in that encounter (61-42), and led by 20 (50-30) at half time after holding Ginebra to only 9 points in the
second quarter.
SLR coach Boyet Ferandez, however, has no reason to be confident.
By: Zean Macamay, Journal Online
ALASKA survived powerhouse San Miguel Beer for reasons coach Tim Cone couldn’t explain. This time, the Aces will have to
figure a way out to get by Talk ‘N Text.
Maybe, just maybe, Willie Miller can provide the answer.
“We figured out a way to beat San Miguel. I don’t know how we did it but we figured out a way,” said Cone. “Now we got to go
out and figure out a way to beat Talk ‘N Text.”
The league leaders shoot for their 11th win today against one of the teams Cone thinks is capable of tearing them down to
pieces in the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
“We know that if we’re not focused, they can embarrass us,” said Cone of the Tropang Texters. “They are that good.”
Talk ‘N Text, though, wasn’t good enough when these two teams – finalists of this same conference last season – met in
the first round. Alaska was the more solid ball club down the stretch, carving out a 110-106 win in a game where Miller stood
out (20 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists).
The two-time MVP, however, wasn’t in the game mentally when Alaska squared off with San Miguel last Dec. 9. Miller shot a
miserable 1-of-9 from the field and merely ended up with 4 points, yet that didn’t pull the Aces out of focus and were still able
to drop the Beermen 122-116 in overtime.
“Talk ‘N Text is going to be tough,” said Cone. “We played just recently so both teams are going to have fresh memories of
how they played.”
Alaska won that game despite getting outrebounded big time, 53-39. What the Aces did right was to shoot splendidly from
the field, clipping close to 52 percent by making 43 of their 83 attempts.
TNT coach Chot Reyes realizes that Alaska is playing its best these days, which is why he feels that nothing less than their A-
game should be unleashed if ever they want to figure competitively for one of two outright semi-finals berth.
“We’re playing the best team so it will take nothing less than out best to prove that we can compete with the bog boys,” said
Reyes.
Like the Aces, the Texters are coming off a win. They beat Burger King last Dec. 4 where Mac-Mac Cardona scored 32 points.
A victory by the Texters will at least give them a share of third spot, or even snatch it solo if ever Ginebra falls to Sta. Lucia
Realty in the second game.
The Gin Kings dropped a humiliating 93-72 game to the Realtors the first they met last Nov. 18. Sta. Lucia dominated the
battle off the boards in that encounter (61-42), and led by 20 (50-30) at half time after holding Ginebra to only 9 points in the
second quarter.
SLR coach Boyet Ferandez, however, has no reason to be confident.