Mixers go for 2-0 lead over Texters

TALK ‘N TEXT’s Jayson Castro (left) and San Mig Coffee’s PJ Simon are expected to play key roles in their teams’ campaigns tonight. NUKI SABIO/PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines–Tim Cone knew that San Mig Coffee caught Talk ‘N Text on a bad night on Friday and admits that he needs to brace his Mixers up for what could be the game that could ultimately give them the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

After breaking away in the second half en route to a 95-80 series-opening win, Cone and his charges have the momentum coming into Game 2 Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum with another win more or less deciding this best-of-five series.

But Cone is making sure that his Mixers don’t fall into a false sense of security—not against a team that is as loaded as them and will be trying to bounce back from their only loss in the conference.

“We all know that we didn’t see the real Talk ‘N Text team tonight,” Cone said Friday. “But they will show up (in Game 2), that’s for sure.”

Talk ‘N Text seemed out of sorts after coming out of the halftime break in the first game.

San Mig went on to open leads of as large as 17 points in the third period and was never threatened from there.

And Norman Black, also a Grand Slam winner like Cone, knows that his wards were manhandled in Game 1 and he is pointing at just one aspect as the cause.

“We need to just come out with more fight, a little more intensity,” Black said. “They thoroughly outplayed us tonight. It’s as simple as that.”

Richard Howell, the hot favorite to win the Best Import award, was the missing link for the Tropang Texters in Game 1. He got two quick fouls and never got the chance to be aggressive the rest of the way.

The San Mig defense also clicked, as it disrupted the flow of the Talk ‘N Text attack all night with Marc Pingris hounding seasoned point guards Jimmy Alapag and Jason Castro up high and delaying the Texters’ offensive execution.

Black knows that he can’t lose this game and go 0-2 down against a fellow powerhouse like San Mig, which was supposed to be the tired team going into this series after going the full route in two playoff series leading to the finals.

The week’s rest for qualifying early obviously did not help the Texters, who came out flat and could have been blown off the court early had it not been for four three-point conversions in the first period.

San Mig, on the other hand, because of the long quarterfinal and semifinal series, stayed sharp, with James Yap leading the scoring and Peter June Simon raining outside shot after outside shot.

The key for the Texters, it seems, is on how well Ranidel de Ocampo, Larry Fonacier and Alapag could adjust to the San Mig defense. On Friday, the trio was limited to a paltry 13 points.

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