Message sent: Alapag is back

MANILA, Philippines - Jimmy Alapag’s message was loud and clear.

“This is still our championship and it’s ours until somebody takes it away,” said Alapag moments after keying Talk ‘N’ Text’s thrilling 111-108 victory over Petron in Game Six of the PBA Philippine Cup Final Four Sunday.

The win didn’t only send the series to a sudden death. It also gave the Tropang Texters, who trailed, 1-3, last week, the needed momentum and confidence to get back at their arch rivals.

Alapag highlighted his Game 6 heroics with 29 points while adding 10 assists and seven rebounds to earn the Accel-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week honors for the period Jan. 9 to 15.

The reigning MVP’s performance came on the heels of his triple in the last 44 seconds of Game 5 just two days before, a shot that proved crucial in helping the Texters escape with a 93-91 win. “The last two games exemplify his value,” said TnT coach Chot Reyes of his team captain. “In Game 5 he barely scored (five points) yet provided spiritual leadership and stability. But when needed, he scored and assisted, as in Game 6.”

Alapag, who has continued to be nagged by an assortment of calf and ankle injuries that forced him to miss nine games in the elims, said he was simply trying to do his end and hope it rubs off on his teammates.

“No matter what, we just got to keep fighting,” he stressed. “We’ve got to fight and fight until we can’t fight anymore.”

That makes tomorrow’s do-or-die between the league’s fancied teams doubly interesting with TnT ready to explode again and Petron out to arrest its skid.