Game Tomorrow (Smart Araneta)
5 p.m. – Talk ‘N Text vs San Mig Super Coffee
Manila, Philippines – The San Mig Super Coffee Mixers didn’t just shake the rust off Talk ‘N Text in Game 1 last night. They buried the dormant Tropang Texters in it, along with their 13-game winning streak.
And when the dust cleared, largely from San Mig’s roaring fast break, the Mixers stood with a dominant 95-80 victory in the opener of the PLDT Home TVolution PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, putting in jeopardy somewhat hopes for a tightly-fought series.
“Obviously, they were not as sharp. But we know we didn’t see the real Talk ‘N Text team tonight; it’ll be different on Sunday,” said Mixers coach Tim Cone.
Not only did San Mig put an end to TNT’s winning run, the Mixers also exposed weaknesses in the Texters’ game, probably heightened by their inactivity after clinching the first finals berth more than a week ago.
Burning the fast break lanes and dominating the offensive glass, San Mig put the game away in the third quarter where they shot close to 60 percent inside the 3-point arc while completely crushing the Texters’ offense (5 of 23/21 percent).
PJ Simon had 10 points, many in transition from TNT turnovers, as San Mig collected 12 points off fast breaks and 8 from 8 Texters errors. TNT was scoreless in both departments.
James Yap missed all three of his 3-point attempts in the first half but went 6 of 8 inside the arc with two offensive rebounds to score 12 points in leading the Mixers, who took the half, 44-40, an advantage they labored to claim through 7 deadlocks and 8 leadchanges.
San Mig shot 58 percent when not taking 3-pointers (18 of 31) and put up a defense that, while a step slow to rush out and cover TNT’s outside shooters (5 of 13 treys), was solid enough to thwart the Texters’ inside game (8 of 17).
A vital cog to the Texters’ drive-and-kick play, Ranidel de Ocampo, missed 7 of his 8 shots, including 4 of 5 triples. (Tito S. Talao)