Now or never for Aces, Talk N Text

It’s down to one final battle and it looks clear to everybody it’s now a question of which team wants it more to have a shot at ultimate glory.

Forget Talk N Text stealing Game One on clutch three-pointers by Patrick Fran and forget Alaska salvaging Game Four on John Arigo’s own crucial trey. Forget, too, the two teams splitting Games Two and Three by nearly identical margins.

It’s the final push, and the Phone Pals and the Aces vow to exert double effort to outwit, outsmart, outplay and outlast each other for the right to challenge the Coca-Cola Tigers for the Samsung PBA All-Filipino crown.

The battle to end the war is set at 6 p.m. at the Araneta Coliseum.

"It took us tremendous effort to win this one. The boys have to realize we have to do double than that (if we’re to win the series)," said Alaska coach Tim Cone after they forced the sudden-death on an 87-86 overtime cliff-hanger Friday.

"Ang tingin ko parehas lang ang dalawang teams. The team which comes out strong and plays better to the end will get it," said Talk N Text coach Joel Banal.

Cone is seeing a classic Game Five about to unfold but he put a little twist on it, saying his team is at a disadvantage with the referees making Talk N Text behemoth Asi Taulava "untouchable" in the series.

"Asi is untouchable. Whatever we do (on defense against Taulava). We’re doing our best to put an honest defense on him but the referees kept on calling fouls on us," said Cone.

"I didn’t see it in Game Two and I didn’t see it tonight (Friday night) but we lost our big guys on fouls," Cone added.

Incidentally, the Aces drew 31 fouls in Game Four with Don Allado and EJ Feihl both fouling out and Ali Peek and Brandon Cablay getting five apiece. Taulava was awarded 29 free throws but made only 16 for a 55.2-percent clip.

Talk N Text’s woeful free-throw shooting hastened the team’s downfall in the game, allowing Alaska to stay in the hunt for a return stint in the All-Filipino finals and possible revenge versus reigning champion Coca-Cola.

The Aces actually are also looking to avenge a loss to the Phone Pals in another semifinal duel in the Commissioner’s Cup last year. The Phone Pals advanced to the finals against the Red Bull Thunder but settled for first runner-up honors.

But Banal saw wisdom in their defeat Friday, saying they would enjoy the momentum if they ever reach the finals against the Tigers. "Kung makakarating kami sa finals, maganda ang chance namin dumiretso sa championship," he said.

But Banal admits they have a job cut out for them against Alaska today. The Aces sport an impressive 10-3 win-loss record in do-or-die games since last year.

If Taulava is Talk N Text’s main weapon, the backcourt tandem of John Arigo and Mike Cortez, meanwhile, is the biggest ace up Alaska’s sleeves.

Jimmy Alapag was among the leaders in the stats race in the eliminations but he seemed to have lost much sting when ranged against Cortez. The Alaska pointguard outplayed his Talk N Text counterpart in each of the first four games of the series.

Another problem besetting Talk N Text is the leg injury of Vic Pablo. The 6-foot-4 forward sat out Game Two and hardly made an impact while playing minimal minutes in Games Three and Four.