Sometimes, when something is considered “iconic”, it doesn’t always refer to a positive outcome, as some people are ashamed to be on the wrong side of history.
In today’s PBA @ 50, we’ll talk about how the 2010 Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters failed to capture the elusive Grand Slam title of the PBA.
1. Origins: New Format, Same Old League
During the 2010-11 PBA Season, the league implemented a new tournament format wherein it now features 3 Conferences instead of 2. From the Philippine Cup to the Fiesta Cup, it’ll now be the Philippine Cup, the Commissioner’s Cup, and the Governor’s Cup.
But why is this important to note? Because this made the Grand Slam hopes of the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters a lot harder than ever.
However, Head Coach Chot Reyes wanted his squad to withstand this challenge and remain focused on their goal. And that is to capture the championship, considering that during the 2008-9 season, Talk ‘N Text were the Philippine Cup champions.
2. Can They Really Co-Exist? Jimmy Alapag and Jayson Castro
In the 2008 PBA Draft, the Tropang Texters drafted a young and speedy guard in name of Jayson Castro.
This move was not only for the team to secure their future, as their starting point guard Jimmy Alapag is starting to reach his peak, but also to make the most lethal and productive backcourt duo that the league has seen.
Castro was a fast and shifty point guard who could easily score in transition plays and drive through the basket to get easy buckets. Alapag was the cool, calm, and composed guard of the team. Not as quick as Jayson, but his playmaking ability, along with three-point shooting, were his main assets.
Plus, Alapag was the Team Captain of this squad.
Sure, the team won during the 2008 PH Cup, but after that, they have yet to make it back to the Finals, and the big question began to spread: Can Jimmy Alapag co-exist with Jayson Castro?
3. Meet the Tropa
With 2 of the league’s best guards on his team, Coach Chot knew he had to pick the right personnel in order to make a successful campaign.
Ranidel De Ocampo was ahead of his time as he was the league’s perfect stretch 4. He played that position so well that if he played in today’s era, he might have won multiple Best Player of the Conference awards. Ali Peek and Harvey Carey were the team’s frontcourt. Sure, their height might be 6-foot-6 at max, but hell, their body and build were the most goliath thing any PBA fans have ever seen. They are surely undersized as the team’s center,s but their strength in getting those rebounds and follow-ups makes up for it.
Another player who played the 4 and/or the 5 position was the former 2007 Rookie of the Year and 2008 league MVP, Kelly Williams. Standing at 6-foot-6, his athleticism and midrange shooting were pivotal in the team’s success. Having the nickname “Machine Gun Kelly” was also very cool.
Jared Dilinger and Larry Fonacier were the guards/small forwards off the bench. Dilinger was the floor general while Fornacier was the team’s three-point specialist. To round up the 9-man rotation for the Texters, Ryan Reyes was their anchor defensively. Often guarding the opposing team’s best player or imports, he complemented the offensive backcourt of Alapag and Castro.
4. Text Sent and Delivered
Talk ‘N Text finished the Philippine Cup eliminations as the number 1 seed with an 11-3 record. This meant they’ll have a two-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
They managed to deal with Rain or Shine easily and faced James Yap-led B-Meg Llamados in the semis. B-Meg was, of course, also the title favorites of that conference while having Yap as the face of the PBA.
But they surprised everyone when they finished their series in only 6 games, and the Texters faced the San Miguel Beermen in the Finals. SMB was led by none other than the league’s Best Player of the Conference, Jay Washington.
Every sports media outlet was shocked to see that the Alapag-Castro tandem finally did wonders for the team. The result? They won in 6 games as well, and both Jimmy and Jayson earned the Finals co-MVP.
In the Commissioner’s Cup, things got a lot weirder when the league allowed the National Team, Gilas Pilipinas, to play in the league and were also qualified to win the title.
This just meant an even harder challenge for the Texters to repeat as champions.
But their talent and experience proved to be useful as they yet again became the number 1 seed after the eliminations and were guaranteed a Semifinals berth along with the number 2 seed Gilas Pilipinas. Odd isn’t it?
With a record of 8-1, they faced the Air21 Express in best-of-5 semis. They dismantled them with ease, winning 3 straight games, and in the Finals, they met the crowd favorite Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.
Despite the efforts of the Best Import of the Conference from Ginebra, who was Nate Brumfield, TNT still won thanks to the Best Player of the Conference, Jimmy Alapag. And in 6 games, the Alapag-Castro duo again claimed the co-Finals MVP award.
The Governor’s Cup has to be the mind-boggling of all. As the tournament allowed the Top six teams after the eliminations to move on to the Semifinals, wherein each team will play a single-round robin semifinals against the other qualified ball clubs.
The top 2 of that very weird format were Petron and Talk N’ Text in which the two advanced to the Finals.
It was a Best-of-7 series, but having the Best Player of the Conference, Arwind Santos, and the Best Import of the Conference in Arizona Reid proved to be too much for the Tropang Texters as they got beaten in Game 7.
Some may say that if the Gov’s Cup had the usual tournament format, then the Texters might have a better shot of winning the title.
