First Game: No Problem

Even if I wanted to watch the first game of Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters on TV, my work doesn’t allow me to do so. Game starts at 5:15PM but my off from work is not until 6PM, on top of that I need to travel approximately 30 minutes before reaching home. So I just watch the first half of the game through online streaming. What I don’t like about online streaming is that it keeps on buffering every now and then. Well anyways, here’s what I have observed from my beloved team in the PBA…

Right off the bat, the team did not have a problem getting the ball to the rim. The offense was there right from the first possession. All starting five players were able to contribute, enabling the team to put an early double digit lead. Their defense was also good as they were able to hold down the offense of the Meralco Bolts. That’s one of the best things about having the same line-up from the previous season because there’s no adjustments needed and players know each other very well.

Going into the second quarter, the team is still leading but Meralco Bolts is slowly picking up their offense. They were able to cut the lead down to 10 points at one point. That’s probably the last sequence I’ve seen from the game since I was already heading out of work. Good thing when I got home, I heard a good news from Mico Halili and Kenneth Duremdes (AKTV Center’s hosts) that Talk ‘N Text won via overtime.

Well it was quite a surprised that the game went to overtime considering that they were leading by as much as 16 points in the second quarter. Well, a win is still a win! So I’ll take that one. As what I have learned from the hosts, the Tropang Texters squandered a 24-point lead in the third quarter allowing the Meralco Bolts to send the game into overtime. Good thing though, Talk ‘N Text showed their championship poise during the extension period beating the retooled Meralco Bolts by only two points.

Jared Dillinger had an impressive night chipping in 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. He was not alone though as six other players from the team scored in double digits. Harvey Carey also became the 38th member of the 2000 defensive rebounds club. Jayson Castro handled the back court task since Jimmy Alapag was not able to play due to a calf injury. Interestingly, all players that Coach Nash fielded in were able to score. A total team effort, I must say!

Kudos to Coach Nash for the great game and first getting the first win as a PBA coach!

Let’s keep the faith!

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First Game High

Tomorrow marks the first game of the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters in the 38th season of Philippine Basketball Association.  They will go against their sister team – Meralco Bolts. While the Bolts will parade new faces in their line-up, the Tropang Texters will be composed of the same players from last season. The team is the only team who didn’t change players during the off season though they lost the high flying Japeth Aguilar. Aguilar is currently in the United States trying to pursue his NBA dream.

Long time assistant coach Nash Racela will temporarily call the shots for the team while Norman Black is still coaching the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the UAAP. It is expected that Coach Norman will be able to join the team during their second or third game. Both Jimmy Alapag and Harvey Carey are chasing a career milestone. Jimmy needs three 3-point shots to become the fourth player in the PBA history to reach 1000 triples while Harvey is one defensive rebound shy to become a member in the 2000 defensive rebound club. 

As a team, they are looking to become the first team to win the Philippine Cup title in three straight seasons, with the team remained intact and the resume of Norman Black as a head coach, it is not too impossible to reach such goal. The team only needs to continue doing what they do best – dribble drive offense infuse with Coach Black’s style of coaching.  All the players were able to get the much needed rest after a grueling two seasons that saw the team won 3 championships and two runners up trophies.

Ranidel De Ocampo, Larry Fonacier and Jared Dillinger though didn’t get enough rest because they represented the country during the Jones Cup and FIBA. These competitions however allowed them to stay sharp and in good shape, hopefully all three of them will not be too tired as the Philippine Cup conference goes down the wire. They are all valuable to the team’s success.

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PBA 38th Season

Four more days and it’s the 38th season of the PBA! It’s just so different without basketball to watch on TV. Season 38 will finally open this coming September 30, 2012 with each team parading their muses, new jerseys, and newly acquired rookies. Opening ceremony will start at 4:30PM followed by the first game of the season – Global Port Batang Pier against crowd favorite The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.

This is going to be the banner year for the Global Port Batang Pier team and PBA fans are excited to see how this team will compete with other teams. Gary David, the league leading scorer from the last season will still be the main man for the Batang Pier. He is joined by high flying forward Rey Guevarra who had a breakout conference in the recently concluded Governors Cup, former rookie of the year Rabeh Al-Hussaini and two-time MVP Willie Miller.

On the other hand, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel will parade their two talented rookies - Chris Ellis and Keith Jensen. Mark Caguioa will still be go-to guy of the team but with the addition of L.A Tenorio, the team is expected to be on top of the standings. The team will still have the services of Mike Cortez, Rudy Hatfield and JJ Helterbrand. Allein Maliksi and Dylan Ababou are there also to provide scoring for the team.

With each team beefing up their lineup during the offseason, there’s no doubt that the upcoming PBA season will be more exciting to watch.

As for my favorite team - the Tropang Text Tropang Texters, I am glad that I will still be seeing the same lineup except for Japeth Aguilar since he is no longer part of the team. Coach Norman Black will now call the shots and I am really hoping that they have a wonderful season!

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