Red-hot Texters gun for 3-1 lead against Petron Blaze Boosters

MANILA—Two consecutive blowout victories in the PBA Governors’ Cup finals haven’t been enough to calm the nerves of Talk ‘N Text coach Chot Reyes.

With the coveted Grand Slam on the horizon, Reyes wants the Tropang Texters to stay relentless as they gun for a 3-1 lead against the Petron Blaze Boosters in the best-of-seven Governors’ Cup championship series at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Tropang Texters hope to pick up from where they left off in Game 3, where they made 56 of their 73 shots in an awesome display of firepower.

“We only have a 2-1 lead and that’s all that it means. We still have a long way to go,” said Reyes.

“I expect them to come back really hard in Game 4 and we just have to continue putting the pressure on them.”

Gametime is at 7:30 p.m. after the league honors the season’s best performers in the Annual Leo Awards.

The league will honor the top local performers this season with the awarding of the MVP, Rookie of the Year, Mythical Teams, Most Improved, All-Defensive Team and Sportsmanship Award.

Joe Devance of B-Meg, who played for Alaska early in the season, is the statistics race leader, with Arwind Santos of Petron a close second. The other candidates for the top individual award are Solomon Mercado of Meralco, Anthony Washington of Petron, James Yap of the Llamados, Mark Caguioa of Barangay Ginebra and Kelly Williams and Jimmy Alapag of Talk ‘N Text.

Talk ‘N Text has bounced back in style since absorbing an 88-89 defeat to Petron Blaze on Danny Ildefonso’s buzzer-beater.

The Tropang Texters won a bruising encounter in Game 2, 103-85, before putting on a shooting clinic in an emphatic 132-105 triumph Friday night.

That win put the Manny V. Pangilinan franchise two victories shy of completing the fifth Grand Slam in league history.

Jason Castro’s inspired play has apparently rubbed off on the rest of the Tropang Texters the past two games and containing him will be foremost on the Boosters’ defensive gameplan.

The fleet-footed Castro took over late in the first half of Game 3, where he finished with a team-high 23 points and the Tropang Texters, who hit 16 of 28 shots from beyond the arc, coasted from there.

“The key for us is to try to anticipate what adjustments they will make on Sunday,” Reyes said.

Petron head coach Ato Agustin feels his team still has what it takes to get back into the series.

“Maybe my players are tired, but we’re confident we can come back,” said Agustin.

But he singled out Santos, who was adjudged the Best Player of the Conference prior Game Three, to step up to improve their chances of overcoming the Tropang Texters’ loaded roster.

“We really need Arwind, especially because of the injuries we have in the team,” Agustin said of Santos, who managed just three points on 0-of-8 shooting in Game 3.

Petron center Rabeh Al-Hussaini, who was picked second in the draft, looks poised to claim the Rookie of the Year after tallying 24.21 SPs, ahead of teammate and top pick Nonoy Baclao (14.35).