Red Bull raging; Talk N Text ready

Three days in town, Sean Lampley must have already settled down and may come up with a better showing tonight, keeping the Red Bull Thunder in a raging mood.

But having sized up the new Red Bull import, Talk N Text coach Bill Bayno must have made the adjustments in their game plan also by now as both teams resume their battle for the Samsung PBA Commissioner’s Cup title playoff today at the Araneta Coliseum.

It has turned to be a war of attrition which may reach boiling point today as the warring ballclubs clash for the decisive third win in the race-to-four affair.

Game Five is set at 5:30 p.m. with the Thunder enjoying the psychological edge and the momentum following their 89-81 win in Game Four but the Phone Pals are aching to get back to come within a win of a first-ever regular championship in the league.

Winning Game Four after getting rid of Tony Lang, Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao said they now have the right imports and right locals to lead the team to back-to-back championships in the Commissioner’s Cup.

Guiao expects Lampley to only get better after getting the needed rest following Game Four where he saw action practically straight from the airport. Though unfamiliar with the Red Bull patterns, the former University of California standout logged impressive numbers with 22 points, nine rebounds and two assists.

But Bayno and his Phone Pals look ready for the battle ahead.

Curiously, the series count stands at two games apiece with the two teams keeping each other from winning two in a row.

Guiao, however, believes their Game Four victory is the key and they could finally break the trend today.

"It gave us a new lease on life and that could be the key. We’ll come out in Game Five with the big psychological edge. Everything would now depend on how much we want the championship," said Guiao.

The Thunder showed great determination to win Friday, giving the Phone Pals a dose of their own medicine with a pressing defense and a running offense that carried the team to a 40-21 lead halfway through the second quarter.

But the Phone Pals showed resiliency, refusing to give up the fight easily as they even scared the Thunder at endgame before eventually yielding the game.

Surprisingly, the Thunder escaped with the crucial win despite 24 turnovers as against the Phone Pals’ only 12.