Best of 7 PHL Cup Finals: Talk 'N Text vs. Rain or Shine

[arwinalf]

We dared to dream. Now i Dare to Believe!!! RoS all the way!!!

[tsk_tsk]

may kasalanan din naman si Yeng. kung di nya sana denevelop si fonacier, di sana walang magbibigay sa kanya ng sakit ng ulo.

[babsky]

sana masweep

[hapitpetron]

naalala ko tuloy yung ranidel last phil. cup final vs powerade.. unstoppable!!

[4gotten rocker]

mali boto ko hahaha... mukhang sweep joke ROS fans...
may nabasa akong article mas madali daw TnT kesa SMCM sabi ng isang player ng ROS.. ayun 2-0 na ..boom

[doodzie2005]

parehas na style ng game ang tnt ar ros .. nagkaiba na lang sa quality ng player. medyo stable at more athletic talga mga taga TNT.. puro fil-am or amboy eh .. wala naman purong pinoy na dito lumaki bukod ke ranidel at fonacier. kaya iba ang quality ng katawan nung mga player ng TNT ang ROS naman kung inde purong pinoy me lahing ****** naman . kaya medyo malalamya at mabibigat na malalaki

[doodzie2005]

saka medyo pigil laro ng ROS .. nawala *** pagiging bad boy nila sa court dapat ata ilabas nila un para gumanda laro nil

[winry_rockbell]

Pag naka 3-0 TnT bukas asahan na may magsusuntukan sa Game 4... Kalmado parin kaya si Yeng, anung storya na naman kaya gagawin ng AKTV, binalik na naman yung AKTV center ang masaklap pa kasama pa si Atayde.

[justafactopo]

Sa MOA Arena pala venue kagabi kaya di masyado maingay ang banda!

[popsky]

Kung 81 pa rin iiskorin ng RoS next game malabo sila manalo.

[JobyBryant24]

Grabe ka-kontra ng TNT ang ROS. Solid composure ng TNT upto the last second unlike nung Game 1. Kudos!

Mukhang delikado prediction ko ng ROS GAME 7 ah. Tsk!

Feel ko ROS yan in Game 3. Go ROS!!!

[justafactopo]

Pano pala makuha yang I Love PBA pin?! Penge naman oh!

[great2find]

Whew! Right on target pa rin ang boto at fearless forecast ko. Talk N Text in 4 games...

[clarkie31]

Boring naman ng finals. mas may thrill pa ata yong match ups nung semis eh. Ngayon parang nagpa practice game lang ang ROS. Parang ang aamo ng extra rice inc tsaka si jireh naman parang si james yap lang ata kayang bantayan..

di rin kasi kaya ng Extra rice yung frontline ng TNT, banggain mo ba naman Man Mountain, Machine Gun at yung RDO. kaya di nila mailabas yung pisikal nilang laro, unlike nung San Mig, soft yung mga player (except Ping) na kaharap nila. with jireh naman, di rin litaw laro nyan sa depensa, may ryan reyes naman din kasi sa TNT, unlike sa San Mig walang lockdown defender. di nga makaporma si lethal weapon at si chan. before the series started i vote for RoS in 6 (akala ko kasi madadala nila yung momentum sa finals) or TNT in 7. pero after game 1, di na ko umasa mananalo bataan ni coach yeng... desidido talaga yung Tropa makuha yung perpetual trophy. and talagang ibang klaseng teamwork at disiplina nung team ni manay.... di basta natataranta.

[tonnette_roz12]

ang mangyayari niyan is double history

1.) Getting the Jun Bernardino Trophy AND
2.) In one way or the other GRANDSLAM din yan... AFC grandslam...

[PEx_Sports]

Game 2 Result: TNT - 89, ROS -81

TNT takes a commanding 2-0 lead.

The Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters staved off a huge 3rd Quarter run by the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, scoring clutch three point shots, to beat the Painters, 89-81, in Game 2 of the Finals held at the SM Arena.

The compelling thing about what TNT is doing is that they're being extremely surgical and clinical in their dismantling of ROS. They take a commanding lead in the first half, not allowing ROS to gain confidence, get stung a bit by ROS' energy in the second half allowing them to come back, only to get stymied by clutch shots from practically every TNT player on court. Those three treys by TNT at the end of the 3Q and starting the 4Q displayed how "easy" it was for the Texters to overhaul what ROS worked so hard for. From a 57-61 deficit, they suddenly went up 66-63 because of that Alapag trey that started the 4th.

Alaska was successful somehow in beating TNT twice in their series because of the energy that the team brought to the game. The presence of Calvin Abueva alone was enough to energize the Aces, something that the Texters experienced difficulty handling. This was the same energy that the Painters brought to the game because of Ryan Arana, allowing them to overhaul a 51-57 deficit to lead 61-57 in a 10-0 blitz. But it's hard to sustain such energy when you have players draining all these with clutch outside shots.

Ranidel De Ocampo proved tonight that no one at ROS was capable of stopping him. As a matter of fact, there were three players of TNT that ROS couldn't handle well - RDO, Jayson Castro and Jared Dillinger. Defensively, it was iron-clad, with the last line of defense provided by Ali Peek. More importantly, the TNT defense didn't allow ROS to gain momentum - something they're akin to do, not unlike what they exploded against Ginebra in Game 3 of their QF series when they went on a terrific 23-0 run to kill GSM's chances. Because of TNT's precision offense, they were able to make key baskets and allowed themselves to set up their impregnable halfcourt defense on the other side.

Can ROS still pull it off? I have my doubts. A win in Game 3 is mandatory for them otherwise, they'll lose the series. ROS has to get over the psychological hump of not being able to beat TNT yet this conference. They've struggled against this team, dating back to when Chot Reyes was still their coach. What more now when they're more defensive-minded under Black? If they manage to pull off a win in Game 3, this could help regain their confidence. The Painters thrive on their confidence to outlast their opponents but it seems they're beginning to understand that despite Belga and Quinahan's wide bodies, they couldn't intimidate Peek and Williams inside. The perimeter likewise has struggled as Ryan Reyes, Dillinger and Aaron Aban have combined to put the cuffs on ROS' outside gunners. Paul Lee is relying more on his individual skill rather than the same teamwork that they have done the past couple of months. Jervy Cruz's fifteen foot jumpers, a dead shot against GSM and San Mig Coffee in the earlier playoffs, are not hitting its mark as consistently as they have been.

The need for energy is there. Guiao may have to resort to drastic changes - like going small ball and limiting the floor burns of Belga and Quinahan and relying more on a nucleus of Chan, Norwood, Cruz, Lee, Arana, Ibanes and Matias. Guiao is still expected to give minutes to Rodriguez, Tiu, Tang, and the Extra Rice, Inc. but it'll probably be more limited now. Arana's energy is effective, although Guiao has to accept the good with the bad that he brings. Arana is a tough defender, an exceptional penetrator, and a great fastbreak finisher but can also commit unnecessary turnovers left and right. He may have to live with this just to ensure that ROS' energy level will remain at peak. That's probably the only way ROS can pull off a win or two - better yet, survive the series.

[frio]

dito mo makikita na beterano na ang TNT pagdating sa Finals samantalang yung ROS parang unang pasok pa lang sa finals. Saka kung titignan mo mas hungry sa championship ang TNT and may milestone silang gustong kunin. Hmmm,, kung maka 3-0 ang TNT. gg na to.. pero sana patagalin pa muna nila ang serye... hehe

[whiplash]

4-0, nawala na angas ng mga taga ROS particularly coach Yeng.

[Ahura Mazda]

Divided loyalty: Grateful Mrs. Fonacier finds it hard rooting against coach Yeng's team

UNDER normal circumstances, Lora Gahol-Fonacier would be proudly wearing red and rooting for coach Yeng Guiao and his Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.

Only this time, his husband Larry is playing for the other side.

“If I can only cheer for both teams,” said the lovely wife of the Talk ‘N Text gunner minutes before Game Two of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals at the MOA Arena. “I like this team, too.”

Mrs. Fonacier’s attachment to Rain or Shine is understandable considering her high respect for Guiao, who she said gave the former Ateneo star his first big break in the pros with Red Bull.

Lora feels Fonacier, now among the finest gunners in the league, would not be where he is now if not for the trust Guiao had shown him during his early years in the pros.

“Whatever it is, I have so much respect for coach Yeng,” she told Spin.ph. “Because I really believe if Larry didn't start with coach Yeng Guiao, he probably won’t be where he is today.”

Lora said Guiao’s “tough love” and “carino brutal” had brought the best out of Fonacier, and there was no way Fonacier could have made that game-clinching shot late in Game One against the Painters if not for the mental toughness he had gained playing under Guiao.

“Yeng Guiao is tough love, definitely, cariño brutal, but you know that he only wants to get the best out of you,” Lora said.

“That Game One shot, kung hindi ka nagsimula kay Yeng Guiao, hindi mo magagawa yun kasi grabe talaga yung mental toughness,” she added.

The fulltime housewife’s fondness for Guiao and Rain or Shine is even shared by the couple’s three-year-old son, Liam.

“(I like) Jeff Chan and Gabe Norwood,” a playful Liam told Spin.ph. “(I like) Norwood when he dunks.”

Whatever happens in the series, Lora said it will be a win-win situation for her.

“This team (Rain or Shine) is the closest team we had to Red Bull,” Lora said. “It's just that we're on the opposite side of the fence now but if not, we'll be cheering for this team.”

[justafactopo]

Excited na sa game 3 bukas!


must win na talaga ng ROS! desperado na sila ipanalo ang game 3!


sana ready ang TNT sa adjustments ni coach Yeng!