The Tropang Texters shoot for win No. 8 and farther distance from their pursuers against the Elasto Painters, who suffered a big blow at the most delicate stage of their season-ending campaign.
Coach Yeng Guiao was canned a game and fined P30,000 for his actions in ROS’ one-point loss to B-Meg last week, when he confronted commissioner Chito Salud after the game in full view of exiting fans at the Big Dome hallway.
Arizona Reid, by far the most dominating import in the field, will then have to work double time while also providing the leadership on the floor for the Elasto Painters.
Another loss would more or less knock the Painters, being at 4-5, out of the running even as Barangay Ginebra shoots for a second straight semifinal win later in its battle with sister squad Petron Blaze.
That game is slated at 7:45 p.m. and the Gin Kings need the win badly in order to keep within striking distance of the Texters in the event of a Talk ’N Text win in the first game.
Ginebra is at 6-3 and is 1-0 in the semis, and coach Jong Uichico is hopeful that they could take the brilliance of a 99-79 conquest of the Llamados on Sunday into this game.
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“We need every win we can get, not only to stay in second place, but also move closer toward the semifinal incentive,” Uichico said Sunday, referring to the 4-of-5 semifinal bonus.
“The standings are so bunched up, who knows what can happen,” he said as he braces up for a torrid three-game schedule in the next five days for his Kings.
“We’re expecting a very, very tough battle,” said Talk ‘N Text’s Chot Reyes. “(Arizona) Reid is perhaps the best import right now. Our big men will have their hands full trying to stop him.”
Reid will be coming off a sensational 41-point performance against the Llamados. He scored that much despite getting just one free throw attempt the whole night, exactly the beef why Guiao approached Salud after the contest.
Mark Caguioa and import Donald Sloan were big against the Llamados, with Caguioa shooting 33 points and Sloan contributing 26 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists.