PBA IMAGE/ Nuki Sabio
MANILA, Philippines – Jason Castro blazed from downtown and ignited Talk N’ Text to a 92-82 over B-Meg to forge a winner-take-all game seven Friday night in the 2012 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Castro uncorked four triples and came up with big shots in the fourth quarter and salvaged the Texters from the jaws of defeat, tying the series to 3-all.
Triples from Castro quashed any hopes of a comeback for the Llamados, as those kept the Texters in a comfortable distance midway the fourth quarter.
The spry guard scattered 25 points and added four rebounds and four assists for Talk N’ Text, which fell a triple shy away from the all-time record in the finals.
Four triples for Ranidel De Ocampo, while two each for Larry Fonacier, Jared Dillinger and Ryan Reyes gave the Texters a total of 14 three-pointers– a stark contrast from the Llamados’ five.
San Miguel holds the record for the most-triples in a finals game with 15 in the 106-73 victory over Sta. Lucia in the 2001 Governors Cup finals.
“The only difference is that we made some shots today, because that has been our problem the entire series,” said head coach Chot Reyes.
B-Meg, which failed to clinch their first title under Tim Cone Friday night, had underwhelming support from the rest of the crew aside from import Denzel Bowles and James Yap.
The Llamados, after a blistering start, played catch up the rest of the second half when the offense of the Texters went off.
Bowles finished with a game-high 33 points and 12 rebounds on a losing effort, while Yap scored 27 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the outside.