IT ALL BOILS DOWN TO THIS

Alaska, Talk n Text go at it one last time for Jun B Trophy

Wednesday, 11 February 2009

Six games just aren't enough for the Alaska Aces and the Talk N Text Tropang Texters to resolve who’s really who in their title showdown. Now, it all boils down to a deciding Seventh Game. How the previous six encounters have been won or lost is history. The only thing that matters for both sides is to play as best as they could in the final 48 minutes of the series Wednesday evening. Chot Reyes, the TNT coach, said this is the type of situation where truism holds true about a motivated player. "We'll find out which team has that on Wednesday," Reyes said, hinting the job is cut out for his troops. Game 7 is scheduled at 7 p.m. at the Araneta Coliseum. After their 99-94 victory in Game 6 to tie the series at three games apiece and force the "sudden-death", Reyes proclaimed his charges went into the game prepared to play for 96 minutes and get the job done. "We did a great job in the first half. Now we have to figure out how to play strong in the next 48 minutes," the TNT coach said. Perhaps, Reyes should also brief his players, particularly Mark Cardona, on how to respond just in case trouble arises. Alaska coach Tim Cone hinted about the possibility during his post-game interview in the aftermath of his team's loss Sunday. After confessing that he was disappointed with his wards' mental preparation in Game 6, the American tactician warns the finale of what he describes as a "touch-and-go" series could be ugly unless Cardona, Talk N Text's scoring leader, does away with his trash-talking and taunting. "If he taunts any of my players again, I'm gonna order that he be put on the floor. And he's gonna hit the floor hard with his head next time," said Cone, apparently pissed with Cardona's trash-talking and taunting every time the TNT hotshot makes a basket. "I tell you that starts fights and I'm not gonna have my players back down. If someone's trash-talking to them, they're not gonna back down. So it's either the refs have to be more attentive or it's gonna get ugly out there." Cardona said he doesn't intend to disrespect anyone. "I'm just a passionate player. That's how I play even way back my days at La Salle. I'm just being me," he said. Reyes, who got wind of Cone's warning a few minutes after he had left the coliseum, responded with a bold challenge: "Tim has to do what he has to do." The Aces are aiming to clinch their 13th championship that would tie them with the fabled Crispa Redmanizers as the league's second winningest ballclub. The San Miguel Beermen top the list with 17 titles. Besides winning for Alaska its fourth All-Filipino championship, Cone, who is on his 20th season in the league, is aiming to tie the legendary Virgilio "Baby" Dalupan as the league's winningest coach. Cone is one game away from matching Dalupan, who had won 601 games and 15 championships. Records show that only 11 of 22 teams which survived Game 6 and forced a deciding seventh game went on to win the series but 10 of 16 happened in the Finals. Reyes said their chances of clinching the series will be dictated by his players' ability to minimize their turnovers and dominate the rebounds. "I've been very constant about this. For us to have a fair chance, we've got to minimize our errors and work well on our rebounding. That's the key." (DBC)