Captain Hook Saves the Day

Macmac Cardona’s late game heroics helped the Talk n Text top the Alaska Aces 124-122 last night.  In the dying seconds, Cardona converted a three-point play and drained a triple to save the day.  Talk n Text squandered a 19-point lead in the fourth period but survived the game by riding Cardona’s end-game salvo.  Cardona finished with 16 points.

Tiras Wade led TnT with 35 points including seven triples, while Jimmy Alapag and Jared Dillinger added 17 points apiece. 

Alaska Aces was led by Rosell Ellis with 30 points and 17 rebounds.  Joe Devance chipped in 20 points and backcourt tandem, LA Tenorio and Willie Miller contributed 18 points each.

 Talk and Text moved up to the .500 spot with a 3-3 record while the Alaska Aces dropped to 2-5 (.286).

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Talk and Text Bags All-Filipino Crown

Talk and Text just won’t let Alaska Aces win the PBA All-Filipino crown without a fight. The Tropang Texters went 0-2 early in the series but bounced back and eventually won the title in game seven. Talk and Text’s grit and heart was evident in the final two minutes of the series as they converted crucial baskets and held the Aces scoreless until the end of the game. Talk and Text celebrated a 93-89 championship victory at the Araneta Coliseum on February 11.

Mac-Mac Cardona led the Tropang Texters with 23 points. He also bagged the Finals MVP title. Newcomer Jason Castro exploded for 19 points, 8 rebounds and eight assists. Ranidel de Ocampo added 12 points while Jimmy Alapag and Ali Peek had ten points apiece.

Willie Miller finished the game with 22 points and eight assists, but failed to convert free-throws in the final seconds with TNT just up 91-89. Joe Devance chipped in 14 points and 14 rebounds. LA Tenorio and Larry Fonacier had ten points each for the Aces.

This is Talk and Text’s second championship title in the league. Their first championship was in 2003, also an All-Filipino crown.

It was a well fought battle between the two teams, but Talk and Text outplayed the Alaska especially in the final four minutes of the last quarter. Though tempers flared in the seven game series, everything ended well in the series. Nobody got hurt and there no incidents of fist fights or brawls.

I’m personally happy because I’ve been a fan of Talk and Text since 2003. I’ve always been a supporter of this team. I may not always watch their games, but I am always rooting for them to win. Kudos! It’s a well-deserved win. Congratulations.

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Talk and Text Secures Outright Semi-Final Seat

Talk and Text Tropang Texters concluded the elimination round of the PBA Philippine Cup with a big win and secured an outright semi-final seat when they defeated the Air21 Express, 109-108, on Christmas Day. Newly acquired Ranidel De Ocampo finished the game with 18 points, including a game-winning buzzer-beater shot with a just little over 2 ticks left in the clock. De Ocampo also had 16 rebounds. Tropang Texters was led by perennial playmaker Jimmy Alapag with 23 points. Harvey Carey and Mac-Mac Cardona added 17 and 16 points respectively.

Don Allado, in just his second game in Express uniform, had an impressive all-around game. Allado tallied 18 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and two blocks. Gary David led Air21 with 23 points while Wynne Arboleda and Egay Billones chipped in 14 and 12 markers respectively.

David had the chance to give his team a two point lead but split his charities and settled for a one point lead with 2.1 seconds left. De Ocampo sank the game-winning shot in the ensuing play as the TNT Tropang Texters defeated the Air21 Express.

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