Texters' message: We're kings anew

MANILA, Philippines - Talk n Text completed a second straight journey to the top last night, completing its climb after a tough 99-96 overtime win over Barangay Ginebra before a huge weekend crowd at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Tropang Texters bucked two 15-point deficits and beat the Kings in the crunch to bag the PBA Commissioner’s Cup championship in a follow-up to their Philippine Cup title conquest.

With their first-ever back-to-back championships goes a shot at a grand slam in the season-ending Governors Cup starting next month.

“Two down boys. Let’s go get another one,” hollered Talk n Text coach Chot Reyes during the awards rites to thunderous approval from their yellow-clad followers.

“Now that we won the second conference, there’s only one jewel missing in the Triple Crown. Of course, we’ll go for that,” Reyes later said during the post-game interview.

“It will be very difficult. But as what we’ve proven in this game, you can’t underestimate the heart of this team. We’ll figure out how to make another championship run and who knows,” Reyes added.

The Texters indeed showed a big heart, playing gung-ho basketball to neutralize the Kings’ never-say-die stand.

Jimmy Alapag and Jason Castro best exemplified the gutsy effort put up by the team in this game. Both played well in the whole series, and they went on to share the Phoenix Fuel Finals MVP award. Curiously, both shared the same award in their Philippine Cup championship conquest.

Alapag poured in a game-high 24 points that went with six assists and five rebounds while Castro logged 19 points, five rebounds and the same number of assists as the Texters clinched the best-of-seven series at 4-2.

Alapag, who won the Best Player of the Conference earlier, shook off Rob Labagala’s defense for a layup forcing overtime at 88-all.

Alapag, Castro and Ranidel de Ocampo later pumped in big treys as the Texters sustained the heat in the extension play, thus scuttling the Kings’ bid to send the series to full distance.

The Kings slowed down in the homestretch and failed to recover with Nate Brumfield cramping out with 2:11 left in the extra period.

“I guess it’s a physical thing. It’s a big factor. It’s very big that they didn’t have Brumfield in the end,” said Reyes.

The Kings actually had a chance to send the game into second OT but Mark Caguioa missed a three-point attempt and, after they recovered the loose ball, Willie Miller fumbled intheir final possession.

The Texters thus completed the most dominant showing by a team in a conference in years. They wound up with a 15-3 record in the tourney.

Labagala missed a semi-hook off Alapag in the Kings’ last attempt to win it in regulation.

The Kings failed to set a decent final play in regulation having spent all their timeouts a little early.

The Kings led by 15 at 40-25 as they took the first quarter at 28-23 and opened the next period with a 12-2 tear.

They later had another 15-point spread at 81-66 but the Texters waged a fiery rally, catching up at 86-all entering the last two minutes.

Brumfield and Miller led the Kings’ huge first half surge with the former churning out 14 rebounds and 11 points and the latter tossing in 13 markers in the first 24 minutes of play.

Before the game, Brumfield averaged only 12.6 rebounds and Miller 5.2 points in the series.

The Kings, however, lost that lead as quickly as they built it with the Texters rallying to tie at 48-all.

A free throw by Mike Cortez and back-to-back baskets by Brumfield gave Ginebra a 53-48 halftime cushion.