PBA Fastbreak: Talk N Text, San Mig Coffee remain unbeaten

Talk N Text over Barako Bull, 101-96

The Best: Jayson Castro and Richard Howell made sure the Texters would continue their strong showing in the Commish Cup, combining for 48 points to lead TNT to its fourth victory in as many games. The Blur topscored with 25 markers while also handing out 5 assists and 3 steals in a scintillating effort, while Howell hauled down 20 rebounds on top on his 23 markers. It really does look like coach Norman Black has found a perfect fit for his team as Howell provides the needed muscle in the middle to complement the Texters’ depth at the wings.

The Worst: Josh Dollard rebounded from his 12-point effort in Barako Bull’s previous game by scoring 33 markers and grabbing 14 boards here. It was, however, not enough as the Energy Cola couldn’t make the big plays and hit the big shots in the endgame. Coach Bong Ramos also rued the fact that his wards turned the ball over 13 times, which resulted in 17 points-off-turnovers for the Texters. 

Larry Legend: Averaging just 4.6 points prior to this game, Larry Fonacier finally found his rhythm, scoring 16 points to help the Texters remain unscathed at the top of the team standings. Fonacier scored half of his output in the payoff period, including hitting two big triples that ensured the huge win for TNT. 

San Mig Super Coffee over Ginebra, 90-80

The Best: The Mixers’ supporting cast seems to be the X-factor in their continued success. Rafi Reavis helped make life tough for Ginebra reinforcement Leon Rodgers, while rookies Ian Sangalang and Justin Melton sparked a great run in the fourth period to put some separation between SMC and the Gin Kings. Sangalang scored 8 of his 10 points in that final frame, while Melton was a huge spark on the defensive end.

The Worst: Strangely enough, the Kings stayed away from what was effective in the fourth quarter. Ginebra utilized the pick-and-roll offense well in the first three periods, but didn’t really go to it anymore in the final canto. Instead, the Kings went almost exclusively to Rodgers, who took (and missed) a boat load of outside shots just when SMC was making its run.

Mr. Everywhere: After a lackluster debut, James Mays unloaded a monster effort here, scoring 29 points and hauling down TWENTY NINE rebounds as the Mixers went up to 2-0 in the conference. Mays, who earned the moniker “Mr. Everywhere,” received a ton of praise from coach Tim Cone, who compared the import to former PBA superstar Rudy Hatfield. Mays looks to have finally found his groove in the PBA, and, should he be consistent, then perhaps a rare, if unconventional,  “PBA grand slam” might just be in the offing for the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers. – Rappler.com