MANILA, Philippines – The road towards achieving a historic 4-peat starts on Tuesday, January 21 when reigning three-peat Philippine Cup champions Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters battle the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers in a best-of-3 duel at the Mall of Asia Arena.
(4) Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters (8-6) vs (5) San Mig Super Coffee Mixers (7-7)
Philippine Cup head-to-head: San Mig won, 1-0
San Mig 100, Talk ‘N Text 87
READ: Barroca shines as San Mig thwarts depleted Talk ‘N Text
Why Talk ‘N Text will win: The reigning champs have acquired a new weapon in KG Canaleta, who will definitely add firepower from the outside. Joining him are gunners Larry Fonacier, Ranidel De Ocampo, Jimmy Alapag, and Jayson Castro – who has been shooting at a career-best 42.6% from downtown. The Tropang Texters are coming off a 24-point demolition of league leading Ginebra last Sunday, and will have momentum coming into this series. They must take advantage of their shooting from rainbow country in order to have a good shot at making the semis.
Why San Mig will win: The Super Coffee Mixers like keeping it low, hounding every team with their defense. They are currently one a 4-game winning streak, limiting their opponents to just 79.75 points a game. Expect Coach Tim Cone’s wards to play with tenacious defense every single night. They started this conference with a miserable 1-5 card but have gotten into the groove ever since to climb up to the fifth spot. Talk ‘N Text is a team that loves to shoot so San Mig must be wary of that category and clamp down on TNT’s shooters.
Key match-up:
Jimmy Alapag vs Mark Barroca (14.6 PPG, 5 RPG, 4.5 APG)
It’s a match-up between the two of the finest point guards in their respective eras. Alapag, the Rookie of the Year in 2003 and the Most Valuable Player in 2011, had always been a threat for every team. He’ll bring along the leadership to his Tropang Texters, aside from the scoring especially in pressure-packed situations. Barroca meanwhile, has been shining very well in the Philippine Cup and is arguably one of the top court generals right now. He leads the Mixers in scoring, assists, and steals so expect this duel to be another classic one.
X-Factors:
Talk ”N Text: KG Canaleta
TNT’s newest recruit must be able to blend well right away and give the Texters a lift. But he should be more focused on defending the three and four spots, especially going up against the likes of Joe Devance, Marc Pingris, and even James Yap.
San Mig: Ian Sangalang
The second overall draft pick in this draft will have his first taste of playoffs action in the pro ranks. He will go up against experienced forwards like Ranidel De Ocampo, Danny Seigle, and Kelly Williams so he must work hard to keep up with the action.
What this game means: TNT’s road towards history begins in this quarterfinal showdown. They have lorded over the past 3 Philippine Cups and now that they’re ‘just’ the fourth seed, they must prove that they can still dominate in this conference. For the Mixers, who have been criticized for relying too much on their import to win in the Governor’s Cup, this is their chance to show they’re a complete unit and they have the tools to succeed in the Philippine Cup.
RAPPLER PICK: Talk ‘N Text in 3 games
– Rappler.com
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