Finally A Second Win!

The two weeks rest proved to be a good one for the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters as they notched their second win in five games in the Governor’s Cup. Talk ‘N Text crashed the semi-finals hopes of the Alaska Aces as they gave them their sixth loss in seven games. 

Playing with sense of urgency, Paul Harris was all business right after the tip. He needs to put up an impressive game to keep his spot as the import of the Tropang Texters. Anthony Johnson is in town practicing with the Texters in case Paul Harris fails to deliver the goods for the team. Harris is not about to give up his spot, scattering 25 points together with 17 rebounds and was eventually the player of the game. 

Jayson Castro was finally back from ankle injuries and made the crucial shot just when the Aces threaten to make an upset. He was still finding his rhythm after being sidelined for several weeks. It was actually Ranidel De Ocampo's 3-point shot that put the game away and Jayson just put the final dagger to the Aces. Jimmy Alapag did not have a productive night scoring only 2 points but he did a good job finding his team mates. Japeth Aguilar and Aaron Aban were a huge help in defending their opponents. On the other hand, Larry Fonacier was on target all night long, hitting his shots from all over the court. 

It was almost a disastrous finish for the Talk ‘N Text. They were leading by as many as 18 points in the early going of the second half and they maintained a double digits lead going in to the fourth quarter but they allowed the Aces to crawl back before the two crucial baskets of Ranidel De Ocampo and Jayson Castro. 

The team is still missing the services of Ryan Reyes and Jared Dillinger. Their next game is on June 20 against Barako Bull, another tough assignment for them but if they will continue to play as a team and all of them will continue to step up, they can win games!

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Backs Against The Wall

With their convincing win against the Petron Blaze Boosters, Talk ‘N Text has a lot of momentum going on however they failed to sustain that momentum when they lost to Powerade Tigers last June 03, 2012.

With their backs against the wall; the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters needs to win all of their remaining games to avoid early elimination.  It’s easier said than done! Their remaining games are all up against strong teams.  The teams next game will be this coming June in Tubod Lanao Del Norte against the Alaska Aces (they have the same win-loss record); both teams are coming off with a loss from their previous game so it should be expected that both teams will try to bounce back.

For the last five conferences, Talk ‘N Text had always been at the top of the standings and seeing them sitting at the bottom standing right now, it just feels awkward. I guess fatigue is slowly taking its toll on all players.  Having been in the finals for the last five conferences, they played the most games as compared to the rest of the teams in the PBA today.

The team is blessed with a 13-day rest before going to their next game. This should allow the Tropang Texters to rest their tired and aching body while for other players recuperate from their nagging injuries. This long period of rest however might somehow affect the players negatively; their offense might become rusty and out of synch. The effects of their two weeks rest still remains to be seen.

Jayson Castro and Harvey Carey will still be out while Ryan Reyes and Jared Dillinger are doubtful. Jared Dillinger started the game against the Powerade Tigers, unfortunately he pulled his hamstring very early in the first quarter and did not return to the game. Paul Harris, Jimmy Alapag, Ranidel De Ocampo, and Larry Fonacier tried to carry the load but without their best defensive player, they just couldn’t stop Gary David from scoring at will in the third quarter.

Talk ‘N Text controlled the game in the first half, holding Gary David to only 11 points (most of his points are from the free throw line). Then came the second half and the Tigers just pulled ahead thank to the hot scoring of Gary David in the third quarter from there the Tigers never looked back. It was another tough loss for the Talk ‘N Text

As they always say “It’s not over until it’s over”. Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters will live to fight another day!

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In An Unfamiliar Territory

Even with the return of Jimmy Alapag, Kelly Williams, and Ryan Reyes still Talk ‘N Text failed to notch their first win in the Governor’s Cup. Air21’s offense and defense was simply too much for the Tropang Texters to handle. Zach Graham contributed 38 points for his team and other locals for Air21 also stepped up enabling them to beat the powerhouse Talk ‘N Text. 

From the start of the first quarter all the way to the fourth quarter, the Express controlled the tempo not allowing Talk N’ Text to take the driver seat. The only lead the Tropang Texters had was when they scored the first two points of the game and after that it was Air21 all throughout the ball game. Out of frustration, Chot Reyes slammed his board on the floor during one of their huddles. 

After the loss, Talk ‘N Text are now 0-2 joining Powerade Tigers at the bottom of the standings. They are the only teams who are yet to get their first win off the tournament. This will be the first time of the Tropang Texters to be in this situation after three years. They’ve never lost two straight games in the last 5 to 6 conferences. The last time they had a poor start was against with Petron Blaze Booster during their semifinals match in the last Philippine Cup which they became the eventual champion after beating the Powerade Tigers in five games. Curiously, both Talk ‘N Text and Powerade are only the two teams who are currently win less. 

With the ability of Talk ‘N Text to find light in adverse situations, it is only a matter of time before they can get their groove back. Once they get that first win, I know they will build on that momentum and start their winning ways again. Their next game should be a must win game because of the very tough and short elimination games. If they want to give Chot Reyes a graceful exit they must start to bring back their old form. 

They are up against a very powerful team this coming Wednesday. They will be facing a complete and healthy team in Petron Blaze Boosters. The Boosters are currently undefeated and their spirits are high because Jay Washington, one of their main scorers is slowly getting his groove back. It is going to be another game tough for Talk ‘N Text and they must find a way to get that first win.

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First Game First Loss

With all the injuries hounding the camp of Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters, they were defeated by their sister team in their first game in the season ending tourney.  The team appeared to be in control in the early going of first quarter leading by as many as 11 points only to squander it in the second quarter. The Meralco Bolts just took advantage of the depleted line up of Talk ‘N Text by owning the next two quarters. It was the first time that the Bolts were able to beat the Talk ‘N Text since they entered the league.

Jayson Castro, Ryan Reyes, Kelly Williams, Harvey Carey, and Jimmy Alapag were absent due to some nagging injuries and family health issues. Good thing though these players will be joining the team sooner than later. Their presence is really needed since the team is up ahead with a tough schedule plus the fact that the Governor’s Cup has a very tough format too.

Without Jimmy Alapag, the team just couldn’t handle the ball very well. They gave up at least 15 turnovers and their offense was somehow in disarray. There were just too many steals by the Bolts.  They were also out-rebounded by their opponent. Nonetheless, Talk ‘N Text did show a good fight and I know that they will make some adjustments and will be better in their next game which will be this coming Saturday.

On the lighter side of the story, after missing 42 games due to an ACL injury – Aaron Aban return to the team and was immediately inserted in the starting line up. He scored 13 points in his very first game after the injury. Paul Harris was always a reliable scorer; he leads the team in scoring with 32 points but was clearly tired in the last minutes of the 4th quarter missing key shots and free throws. Talk ‘N Text is still missing the A-game of Japeth Aguilar which failed to score a single point but he had some good blocks in the early part of the game though. I can’t wait to see him show his basketball skills in the coming games.

Their next assignment is Air21 Express this coming Saturday. I am sure that they will come out stronger and this loss will serves as their motivation! Let’s go Tropa!

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Haters Gonna Hate

It is but natural that there are people who love to bash other people. In the case of Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters, they seem to get sizeable amount of bashers. I don’t get it why a lot of people love to hate and mock them. Yes, they are not the perfect team. They have few players who are sometimes arrogant and love to play physical. Guess what! They are not the only team who has players like that.

Their coach is being criticized for whatever emotions he will pour during the game. His being criticized for they way he coaches his players. His every action seems to be watched closely by critics and those who are claiming to know the game very well. Their owner is being bad-mouthed more often than any other owner in the league. The players are being labeled as arrogant and all other negative things.

Every time they are winning, people are quick to judge that MVP (Manny V. Pangilinan) paid the referees. Don’t be ridiculous people! They are very capable of winning just like any other team in the PBA! Through the years, the management was able to form a very formidable team. A team consists of players who know how to win games. Players that are highly talented but they are willing to sacrifice their individual skills for the good of the whole team. They wouldn't be able to reach the finals for the 5th straight times if they are not capable of playing great basketball.

When the ball club inked Kelly Williams and Ryan Reyes, a lot of people are saying that they are being greedy because they are getting the best players of the league. Have they forgotten that SMC actually has three teams and that they have most of the best players in the PBA today? What about Petron Blaze Boosters? What do you call their recent move to acquire Marcio Lassiter? Isn’t that greediness on their part? If you take a look at the line up of Petron Blaze Boosters now, all of their players can be a starter!

Haters of the team find it so easy to taunt the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters to the point that they getting way out of line. They find it amusing whenever they can insult any member of the ball club. Win or lose, these so-called haters never run out criticism for the whole organization. Why can’t they just focus on supporting their own team? Why can’t they save their harsh comments to themselves? Well, I guess that’s part of the game.

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Governor's Cup Video Promotion

PBA's third conference also known as the Governor's Cup will kick off this coming May 20 at the Smart Araneta coliseum.

All 10 teams will again battle it out for the right to take home the Governor's Cup trophy. It will be an import laden tourney but this time around a height limit was imposed to all imports. Imports should not be taller than 6 feet and 4 inches.

Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters hired again the services of Paul Harris, the same import who gave them the Commissioner's Cup trophy last year. He was also named Best Import during that time.

Before all the actions in the court, the PBA gave the fans three interesting video promotions for the upcoming tourney.

The first video featured Air21 Express' Ren Ren Ritualo and Petron Blaze Boosters' Alex Cabagnot. The second video featured Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters' Ali Peek and Alaska Aces' Cyrus Baguio. The last video featured Meralco Bolts' Asi Taulava and Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters' Jayson Castro.

Videos coutesy of interAKTV

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Ryan "The Energizer" Reyes Interview

I watched this video about a few months ago and I find him really cute when speaking Tagalog. I am happy that he is actually trying to speak the native language of the country.

Ryan Reyes was picked third overall by the Sta Lucia Realtors during the 2007 rookie draft and winning over Joe DeVance and Samigue Eman for the Rookie of the Year award.

Honestly, I never really had an idea that Ryan was already making a lot of impact in Sta Lucia during his rookie years. I don't even know that he's already playing in the PBA. During the time that he entered the PBA, I was not that active in watching games because of my work. I had no idea that he played a pivotal role for his former team's championship in the 2007-2008 season. 

Talk 'N Text acquired Ryan Reyes and Kelly Williams in 2010 in what would be one of the most controversial trades in the PBA history. He instantly made an impact in the team's defensive side. His usual role is to defend the opponent's go to guy and more often than not he's successful in forcing the opponent to make ugly shots. Not only he is good in defense, he can also score anytime he wants to.

To prove his defensive prowess, during the Game 5 of the Philippine Cup Championship against the Powerade Tigers, Ryan had 10 steals. He was just all over the court trying to force a turn over. He was just amazing during the third quarter of that game. 

Here's a full story of his great defensive effort of that game that  helped the Talk 'N Text grab the Philippine Cup trophy. Defensive demon: Ryan Reyes’ dominance goes beyond steals record

Video courtesy of takntexttv

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That Heartbreaking Loss

May 06, 2012, game 7 of the Commissioner's Cup between two heavyweights and equally talented teams in the PBA - the Bmeg Llamados and the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters. My heart was beating so fast and my hands were shaking during the dying seconds. In my mind, Talk 'N Text is on its way to defending their Commissioner's Cup trophy and their hopes for a grand slam this season is within reach. I was already jumping up and down until that last second call by the referee and all of a sudden the joy turned to anxiety. 

Denzel Bowles made his crucial two free throws and they needed five more minutes to decide who's the winner. Before that crucial seconds, Donnell Harvey already was out of the game and I just knew that my team will be in a lot of danger because there was nobody to defend Bowles.

I watched Denzel Bowles wrecking havoc, one shot after the other and I watched my team slowly sinking. I watched Jimmy Alapag being carried out of the court due to cramps. I witnessed Ryan Reyes screaming in pain after a bad fall. Jayson Castro fell on the floor and Ali Peek fouling out. Those were too much of a scene for me to watch. I did not finish the game because it will only make cry.

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