Do-or-die in pivotal Game 4

The pressure is on Alaska to win Game 4 of the Aces’ best-of-7 PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series against Talk ‘N’ Text at the MOA Arena tonight. How coach Luigi Trillo, only in his second conference calling the shots for Alaska, can muster his troops to rise to the occasion could determine whether or not the series will go five or six or seven games. 

No doubt about it, Game 4 is pivotal. If Alaska wins, the series will be all tied up at 2-all with a Game 6 guaranteed to happen. If the Tropa prevails, the series could be over in Game 5 on Sunday. The Aces are almost in a must-win situation because a loss will mean going down 1-3 with the prospect of elimination looming in a Game 5 clincher. But if Alaska ties the count, the series is reduced to a best-of-3 and everything will be back to square one.

Alaska failed to take advantage of momentum in Game 3 last Wednesday. The Aces looked sharp in shocking the Texters, 100-88, in Game 2 last Friday. It was the Tropa’s worst beating in only three losses this conference and TNT’s second setback to Alaska. The Aces controlled the boards, 45-34, limiting the Texters’ second chance and transition opportunities in the process. It didn’t help that TNT went sour from three-point distance as Jayson Castro, Jimmy Alapag, Larry Fonacier, Ryan Reyes and Kelly Williams flubbed a combined 0-of-13. Alaska’s defense clogged the Tropa’s passing lanes, resulting in only 14 assists. 

It’s no secret that TNT thrives in the dribble-drive-dish offense. The Texters generate a lot of points from penetration and kick-outs. In Game 2, Alaska invited TNT to enter the lane but bottled up the passing angles, leaving the interior defenders to protect the rim. The Aces wound up with four blocked shots to none for TNT. Castro could only show one assist. In Game 1, it was his pass to Ryan Reyes in the corner that decided the outcome with 14.3 seconds left. In Game 2, Alaska made sure to obstruct Castro’s passing vision.

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TNT coach Norman Black made key adjustments in Game 3. First, he reoriented his offense from the backcourt to the frontline where the Texters could use size and mobility. Second, there was a conscious effort to control the defensive glass to ignite fastbreak chances. Third, Jvee Casio and Cyrus Baguio weren’t allowed open looks from the perimeter. Fourth, movement created the spacing to decongest the passing lanes and make it easier to locate the open shooters. And lastly, Calvin Abueva was hounded from the moment he stepped onto the court. Casio, Cyrus and Calvin – the three Cs – combined for 60 points in Game 2. Black refused to be burned by the Awesome Threesome two games in a row.

In Game 3, Baguio and Casio shot only 2-of-8 triples compared to 6-of-11 the previous encounter. Abueva couldn’t get his offense to flow as Black threw a platoon of defenders to defuse his energy. Abueva hit 1-of-7 from the floor in 18 minutes. The Texters finally won the battle of the boards, 46-45, and the edge, no matter how slight, cleared the way for more consistency in transition. TNT got away with more fastbreak points, 10-2, and more second chance points, 11-8.

Castro and Alapag didn’t take too many shots, hitting only a combined 3-of-11 from the floor. In Game 2, they went 5-of-17. The guards readjusted their role from scorers to facilitators, collecting 13 assists to fuel TNT’s barrage. The Tropa ended up scoring 93 points, the most in the series so far. Fonacier was 0-of-7 from triple range in the first two games but in Game 3, buried 4-of-6 as TNT ran plays to free him up. Williams and Ranidel de Ocampo scored 35 points together in a display of inside-outside firepower that kept Alaska’s defense off-balanced. The key was TNT regained its rhythm and the proof was in its assist-to-turnover ratio of 24-to-13 compared to Alaska’s 14-to-16. In Game 1, the Texters compiled only 10 assists and in Game 2, 14.

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Action was extremely physical in Game 3 with Baguio assessed a flagrant two for clotheslining Castro in a drive to the basket. Baguio was automatically ejected. Abueva was also thrown out for two incursions, first a flagrant one on a tripping foul then a technical on a second motion. Gabby Espinas was also assessed a flagrant one and eventually was disqualified on six personals. In a series that is as emotional as this, poise will make a difference and TNT’s experience is a huge advantage in terms of playing with composure.

For the Tropa, winning Game 3 meant passing a major test of character. Alaska’s victory in Game 2 was a stunner and snapped the Texters’ seven-game win skein. The Aces showed they can compete against the team that ran a 12-2 record in the eliminations and got a huge boost in confidence. It was up to TNT to bounce back and put Alaska in its place. The Texters did that in Game 3. Tonight, it’s Alaska’s turn to regroup and prove the Aces’ Game 2 win was no fluke. 

Alaska’s back is against the wall because the Aces realize if they go down 1-3, it’s next to impossible to beat the Texters three in a row. TNT won’t give an inch to Alaska even if the Texters aren’t in the same predicament. Alaska is on the ropes and TNT is looking for a knockout punch. But Black isn’t taking any chances. The Aces can counter like Juan Manuel Marquez did to Manny Pacquiao so the Tropa will be smart not to let its guard down.