Reyes, Texters gun for 2-0 series lead vs Llamados

Talk `N Text coach Chot Reyes believes his team’s PBA Philippine Cup semifinals series with reigning champion B-Meg Derby begins on Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum. Never mind that in reality, the Tropang Texters already hold a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven affair. "We’re approaching this game as if the series is 0-0. That’s how important it is for us," he said. The Texters jumped the gun on the Llamados with a 98-91 win in the series opener, five days before 2010 ended. The tournament’s top-seeded team led by as many as 18 points in the December 26 game, but had to thwart Derby Ace’s rally down the stretch to secure the win. Jimmy Alapag showed the way for Talk `N Text with 20 points, including a rare four-point play entering the final two minutes that gave the Texters enough breathing room. Derby Ace mentor Jorge Gallent, playing in the semifinals series as a rookie coach, believes the Llamados are capable of bouncing back from that Game 1 loss, where top gunner James Yap scored 36 points, his highest output the past two years, but failed to get support from his teammates. Peter June Simon, the Llamados’ leading scorer in their quarterfinals series against the Meralco Bolts, was held to 14 points on 4-of-12 shooting from the field. “We just have to play our game, play our roles, and stop their key players. If we do that, we have a good chance of winning," Gallent said. Derby Ace is trying to become the first team since Great Taste in 1985 to repeat as All-Filipino champions. Preceding the 5 p.m. Talk `N Text-Derby Ace encounter is the electrifying match-up between No. 2 seed San Miguel and sister team Barangay Ginebra in Game 1 of their own semifinals series. The Kings are coming off an amazing quarterfinal series with Alaska Aces, a duel that saw the league’s most popular ballclub rallying from 0-1 down to win the short best-of-three affair. Ginebra highlighted the series comeback by rallying from a 20-point deficit in the decisive Game 3, which they won, 79-70. Though faced with a daunting task of beating the Beermen, Kings coach Jong Uichico remains optimistic they can pull off an upset if the series goes to a decisive Game 7. “I hope the series goes into a Game Seven. Then, we have a 50-50 chance to win the series." San Miguel rookie coach Ato Agustin doesn’t want to be dragged into a Game 7 especially against a dangerous team like the Kings. And as long as the Beermen will be able to limit the Kings’ running game, then the series could not likely reach the distance. “We need to contain their transition offense. Ginebra gets their energy from its fastbreak plays," said Agustin. San Miguel has not won a Philippine Cup title since the 2001 season. – KY, JVP, GMANews.TV