From the brink of disaster all the way to the pinnacle of glory. Talk n Text completed this incredible ride as the Tropang Texters brushed off the Powerade Tigers, 110-101, to successfully defend the PBA Philippine Cup championship to the delight of their cheering throngs at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Sunday.

The Texters sprang back strong from their Game Four defeat, overwhelming the Tigers with a massive effort to reward themselves with a third title in the last four conferences. Read Full Article...

TALK N' TEXT 110 - Reyes 20, De Ocampo 18, Alapag 17, Castro 14, Peek 13, Williams 10, Fonacier 9, Dillinger 7, Gamalinda 2, Carey 0.

POWERADE 101- David 37, Anthony 22, Casio 19, Lassiter 12, Adducul 4, Kramer 3, Crisano 3, Vanlandingham 1, Lingganay 0, Allera 0, Cruz 0.

Quarters: 30-16, 60-46, 85-64, 110-101

CLICK HERE FOR MORE...

Powerade thwarted Talk 'N Text's sweep bid in the 37th PBA Philippine Cup Finals, winning Friday night's Game 4, 100-97, at the Araneta Coliseum.

Sean Anthony buried a pressure-packed jumper with 39.8 seconds left to break the game's final deadlock and put the Tigers in front for good, 99-97. Read Full Article...
POWERADE 100 - David 35, Anthony 19, Lassiter 13, Kramer 11, Adducul 10, Casio 7, Lingganay 3, Vanlandingham 2, Cruz 0, Crisano 0.

TALK N' TEXT 97 - Fonacier 20, Castro 18, Alapag 18, Carey 11, Reyes 10, Peek 8, Williams 7, De Ocampo 3, Dillinger 2, Aguilar 0, Alvarez 0, Lao 0.

Quarters: 25-23, 53-43, 75-75, 100-97

CLICK HERE FOR MORE...

Gary David of Powerade was amply rewarded for his rise in the 2011-12 PBA Philippine Cup, beating Arwind Santos of Petron Blaze in a close fight for the Best Player of the Conference honors.

The scoring machine prevailed over Mr. Double-Double, becoming the first Tiger in eight years to win the coveted award. Read Full Article...

CLICK HERE FOR MORE...

The PBA on Friday approved the blockbuster five-man trade involving Barako Bull, Barangay Ginebra, and B-MEG.

In the deal, B-MEG received Gin Kings forward JC Intal and a 2012 2nd round pick from Barako Bull that originally belonged to Air 21, formerly Shopinas.com. Ginebra got Llamados forward Kerby Raymundo and Energy rookie Dylan Ababou. Barako Bull ended up with Gin Kings veteran swingman Ronald Tubid and rookie Reil Cervantes, as well as a second round draft pick in 2014 from Ginebra.

PBA commissioner Chito Salud, who has the right to revise or veto transactions that he deems imbalanced, gave his stamp of approval to the trade as is. “The three-way trade was fairly sound and reasonable,” he said. “The teams gave and received players and picks of relative even value and use for their respective purposes.” Read Full Article...

CLICK HERE FOR MORE...

Ranidel de Ocampo ought to be swaying to Bob Marley’s Redemption Song.

De Ocampo committed one of the most terrible errors in PBA Finals history in regulation but redeemed himself beautifully in overtime as defending champion Talk ‘N Text turned back Powerade, 133-126, to move within a game of sweeping the Philippine Cup Finals at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

The Tropang Texters gun for their fifth title in Game Four Friday night at the same venue, hoping to add the Tigers to 11 previous teams that fell behind 0-3 and never recovered. Read Full Article...

TALK N' TEXT 133 – Fonacier 25, De Ocampo 21, Reyes 19, Peek 16, Williams 14, Castro 10, Alapag 10, Aguilar 6, Dillinger 6, Carey 4, Lao 2, Gamalinda 0.

POWERADE 126 – David 36, Lassiter 25, Anthony 25, Casio 18, Kramer 14, Cruz 3, Adducul 3, Lingganay 2, Vanlandingham 0, Allera 0.

Quarters: 28-34, 63-60, 87-93, 121-121, 133-126

CLICK HERE FOR MORE...

The PBA Board has given a luckless member the rights to arm itself with a tested and very formidable weapon.

Shopinas.com, which will now carry the Air21 banner, was given by the league governors the exclusive rights to negotiate with naturalized national team star Marcus Douthit as its import for the Commissioner's Cup that starts Feb. 10.

"After due deliberation, the board... decided to step aside and to allow the Air21 Express to negotiate and engage the services of Douthit for the second conference," announced PBA commissioner Chito Salud following the 90-minute meeting at the league offices. Read Full Article...

CLICK HERE FOR MORE...

alk `N Text played with the poise of a champion, repeating over Powerade Monday night, 102-96, and took full command of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals at the Araneta Coliseum.

The defending All-Filipino champions uncorked seven straight points in a span of a minute during the homestretch to clinch the victory and a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven title series. Read Full Article...

Talk 'N Text (102) -- Alapag 23, Castro 19, Fonacier 13, Peek 10, Carey 9, Williams 8, Reyes 7, De Ocampo 7, Dillinger 4, Gamalinda 2, Aguilar 0.

Powerade (96) -- David 30, Casio 17, Lassiter 15, Kramer 14, Adducul 9, Vanlandingham 4, Cruz 3, Anthony 2, Antonio 2, Allera 0, Crisano 0.

Quarterscores: 31-25, 56-51, 80-73, 102-96

CLICK HERE FOR MORE...

Besides the fact that it’s just one game, the Powerade Tigers remain comfortable with the thought that they lost Game One of the PBA Philippine Cup finals minus a vital cog in Jvee Casio.

The Tigers are unfazed by their Game One defeat, believing it could have been a different story if Casio were there.

The former Smart Gilas mainstay, nursing a strained hamstring, returns to play in Game 2 tomorrow at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Read Full Article...

CLICK HERE FOR MORE...

DIGOS, Davao del Sur - Want to know how valuable JV Casio is? Despite manhandling Powerade in Game 1 of their PBA Philippine Cup title series Friday night here, Talk ‘N Text coach Chot Reyes believes that the burden of adjustment is on them in Game 2 with Casio expected to return for the Tigers.

And with an ace still left in his deck, Powerade coach Bo Perasol, notwithstanding a 16-point series-opening loss, remained confident and even sounded upbeat when the teams went back to Manila Saturday.

“We may win a game without JV, but we can definitely not win the series without him,” Perasol said. Read Full Article...

CLICK HERE FOR MORE...

High scorer Gary David of the Powerade Tigers is closing in on Petron Blaze’s Arwind Santos in the race for the Best Player of the Conference (BPC) plum.

According to PBA.ph, David went 5 places up in the BPC ranks due to his statistical points (SPs) following his team’s successful semifinal duel against Rain or Shine.

David is Powerade’s scoring machine, pouring in at least 30 points in 7 of their games in the playoffs. Santos is still ahead with 36.52 SPs a game, followed by David, who went up from 6th after averaging 33.65 SPs per game. Read Full Article...

CLICK HERE FOR MORE...

The San Miguel Beermen toppled the AirAsia Philippine Patriots, 78-70, to bounce back from an opening-day loss and take their first win in the 3rd ASEAN Basketball League Saturday at the Ynares Sports Arena.

The Beermen got 23 points and 11 rebounds from 6-foot-9 Darlon Johnson, who held explosive Patriots import Nakiea Miller to 15 markers. Johnson also had three assists and two blocks. Read Full Article...

CLICK HERE FOR MORE...

Talk 'N Text went on a virtual shooting clinic the entire game in thrashing Powerade, 116-100, in Game One of their best-of-seven Finals series in the PBA Philippine Cup Friday night at the Sports Tourism and Business Center of Davao del Sur Gym in Digos City.

Jayson Castro tallied 23 points, six rebounds and eight assists to lead the Tropang Texters, hoping to become the second team in 27 years to defend the All-Filipino crown, to their fourth straight win dating back from their semis match-up with Petron. Read Full Article...

CLICK HERE FOR MORE...

San Miguel dropped its under-performing import after only one game in the Asean Basketball League.

The Beermen tapped Doug Thomas, a 6-foot-9 American forward from the University of Iowa, to replace Richard Jeter early this week just before their showdown with the AirAsia Philippine Patriots this Saturday.

Jeter had a measly 11 points and two rebounds in the Beermen’s surprise overtime loss to the Westports Malaysia Dragons, 77-83, in Kuala Lumpur last Sunday. Read Full Article...

CLICK HERE FOR MORE...

Leaving the dugout for the game, coach Chot Reyes’ final words to his team were: “Let’s come back in a couple of hours and be ready for Powerade.”

Nights earlier when they were pushed by their foes to the brink, Reyes and his chargers just had eye-to-eye contacts, assuring one another that they still had the chance.

The Talk n Text Tropang Texters worked hard for everything to happen, and they’re boarding a flight to Davao Thursday for an unlikely titular showdown with the Powerade Tigers. Read Full Article...

TnT 92 – Castro 21, De Ocampo 19, Alapag 14, Peek 13, Aguilar 6, Williams 6, Fonacier 5, Reyes 3, Dillinger 2, Carey 2, Alvarez 1, Gamalinda 0.

Petron 91 – Luts 23, Ildefonso 16, Yeo 14, Santos 12, Miranda 11, Cabagnot 8, Reyes 7, Baclao 0, Tugade 0.

Quarters: 19-28; 51-57; 81-73; 92-91

CLICK HERE FOR MORE...

2nd Game Update: (Game 7) Talk N' Text def. Petron, 92-91 [NEWS]

Powerade's long wait is over. The Tigers worked as one cohesive unit in hurdling the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 107-98, in their seventh and deciding semifinal game Wednesday to barge into the PBA Philippine Cup finals at the Astrodome.

JVee Casio scored 25 points to lead a balanced attack by Powerade, which gathered momentum in the two middle quarters before tapering off a bit at the finish. Read Full Article...

Powerade 107 — Casio 25, David 24, Lassiter 17, Kramer 12, Cruz 10, Antonio 10, Anthony 5, adducul 4, Vanlandingham 0, Crisano 0.

Rain or Shine 98 – Quinahan 16, Lee 14, Chan 14, Norwood 13, Buenafe 12, Matias 10, Belga 10, Cruz 6, Rodriguez 2, Arana 1, Uyloan 0, Ibanes 0.

Quarters: 22-18; 52-39; 84-65; 107-98

CLICK HERE FOR MORE...

UPDATE: (Game 7) Powerade def. Rain or Shine, 107-98 | Jeff Chan spiked a 26-point outing with a decisive binge all of his own in the second half as Rain or Shine stayed in the hunt for a first final appearance, drubbing Powerade, 112-98, to force a sudden death in their PBA Philippine Cup Final Four showdown at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Sunday.

The lefty gunner rattled in 15 straight markers in a five-minute stretch in the second half as the Elasto Painters built a 92-76 lead and kept the Tigers at bay the rest of the way. Paul Lee, Ronnie Matias and JR Quinahan also provided a push as Rain or Shine forged the 3-3 tie in the best-of-seven series. The Elasto Painters and the Tigers clash in a do-or-die match at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday at the Cuneta Astrodome. Read Full Article...

RAIN OR SHINE 112 - Chan 26, Lee 15, Matias 14, Buenafe 11, Norwood 8, Rodriguez 8, Cruz 6, Quinahan 6, Ibanes 6, Tang 5, Belga 5, Arana 2.

POWERADE 98 - Lassiter 30, David 30, Kramer 15, Anthony 10, Casio 7, Antonio 5, Lingganay 1, Martinez 0, Vanlandingham 0, Allera 0, Cruz 0, Adducul 0, Crisano 0.

Quarters: 22-30, 54-50, 80-76, 112-98

CLICK HERE FOR MORE...

(UPDATE: Rain or Shine stays alive, forces Game 7 vs Powerade) Jimmy Alapag has had a rocky PBA Philippine Cup campaign, no thanks to nagging injuries to his calf and ankle.

So it is not surprising that when the chips are down for the Talk ‘N Text team that considers him as its leader, Alapag took it upon himself to lead the way for his team in a 111-108 victory over Petron Sunday in their PBA Philippine Cup semifinal duel at the jampacked Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The reigning league MVP, Alapag scored a personal conference-high 29 points and also had 10 assists and seven rebounds as the Tropang Texters notched a second straight win that tied the best-of-seven series at 3-all. Read Full Article...

TALK N' TEXT 111 - Alapag 29, De Ocampo 23, Fonacier 15, Peek 12, Castro 11, Gamalinda 5, Aguilar 5, Dillinger 5, Carey 4, Williams 2, Alvarez 0.

PETRON 108 - Santos 20, Cabagnot 18, Lutz 16, Ildefonso 16, Miranda 14, Tugade 10, Yeo 8, Reyes 6.

Quarterscores: 25-23, 47-44, 79-74, 111-108

CLICK HERE FOR MORE...

(UPDATE: Rain or Shine stays alive, forces Game 7 vs Powerade) Powerade has never come this close. Not for a very long time. That is why expect the Tigers to go all-out against Rain or Shine Sunday as they try to end a long wait and make the Finals of the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

By winning Game 5 via a thrilling 110-108 count, Powerade took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven semifinal duel and moved on the threshold of making its first championship series since – as Coca-Cola – it bolted from the San Miguel Corp. group in 2004.

“There’s nothing much more to be said,” related Tigers coach Bo Perasol. “All my players know they need to pull out all stops Sunday to make our collective dream a reality.” Read Full Article...

CLICK HERE FOR MORE...

(UPDATE: Alapag-led defending champs forge Game 7) Petron Blaze has been bitten and is now twice shy. The Boosters try to quash any threat of a Talk N Text comeback when they clash anew Sunday in their PBA Philippine Cup semifinal duel at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

"Hindi p'wedeng bigyan pa ng buhay ang Talk n Text," said Petron coach Ato Agustin. "Dapat lahat gawin namin para matapos na itong series."

The Boosters had the chance to close out the best-of-seven series, but committed several endgame lapses that enabled the Tropang Texters to escape with a 93-91 win that narrowed the former's lead to 3-2. Read Full Article...

CLICK HERE FOR MORE...

Jimmy Alapag banged in a crucial triple in the last 44 seconds then Talk n Text made the needed defensive stops as the Tropang Texters lived to fight another game with a 93-91 win over the Petron Blaze Boosters before a sellout crowd at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Friday.

As in the last three games, Game Five boiled down to which team made the last shot. Talk n Text got it through Alapag, and the Texters stayed alive, closing in on the Boosters, 2-3, in their PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven semifinal showdown. Read Full Article...

TALK N' TEXT 93 - Castro 22, De Ocampo 15, Peek 11, Dillinger 10, Fonacier 10, Aguilar 9, Gamalinda 6, Alapag 5, Williams 4, Alvarez 1, Carey 0.

PETRON 91 - Lutz 27, Santos 21, Ildefonso 12, Tugade 11, Yeo 8, Miranda 6, Cabagnot 4, Reyes 2, Agustin 0, Sharma 0.

Quarters: 19-27, 44-49, 72-69, 93-91

CLICK HERE FOR MORE...

Gary David failed to reach the 30-point mark this time. For sure, the man also known as ‘Mr. Pure Energy’ didn’t mind. What mattered more was that his franchise is on the threshold of completing a Cinderella finish.

The Tigers overcame a six-point deficit with 1:44 left in the game, and the ballclub’s version of the Big Three combined forces in the team’s explosive finish in a thrilling 110-108 victory over Rain or Shine for a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven semifinals series Friday night at the Araneta Coliseum. Read Full Article...

Powerade (110) - David 28, Casio 25, Lassiter 19, Kramer 10, Cruz 9, Anthony 6, Crisano 5, Vanlandingham 3, Antonio 3, Adducul 2, Lingganay 0.

Rain or Shine (108) - Quinahan 18, Arana 15, Ibanes 13, Rodriguez 12, Lee 9, Tang 9, Buenafe 9, Norwood 7, Chan 6, Matias 5, Cruz 3, Belga 2.

Quarterscores: 23-22, 48-54, 81-80, 110-108.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE...

Three-games-to-one up and all pumped-up, the Petron Blaze Boosters go for the killer punch as they take on the beleaguered Talk n Text Tropang Texters in Game Five of their PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven semifinal showdown at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Friday.

If ever, the Boosters will yet again be the spoilers of the Texters’ dream.

Talk n Text’s title-retention bid is in the balance with the Texters on the verge of elimination versus the same team that crushed their grand slam aspiration in the last conference. Read Full Article...

CLICK HERE FOR MORE...