Jared Dillinger completed a perfectly executed alley-oop pass with 2.4 seconds remaining and Talk ‘N Text stole a 106-105 victory from Barangay Ginebra for 2-0 lead in their KFC-PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals series Sunday night at the Araneta Coliseum.
The final play was a fitting end to game in which the Tropang Texters displayed exemplary courage and heart. They rallied from 18-points down in the third quarter and never lost hope even when time didn’t seem to be on their side.
After JC Intal split his free throws to give Ginebra a 105-104 lead with 3.3 remaining, TNT called two timeouts to talk things over.
When play resumed, Ranidel de Ocampo (16 points) threw the inbound pass to the unguarded Dillinger (14 points), who went for that alley-oop bank shot that gave the Tropang Texters a 106-105 lead with 2.4 seconds left.
“I wanted to dunk it. But I wanted it to be safe,” said Dillinger of the winning basket he claimed was the biggest shot of his career.
With no more timeouts left, Barangay Ginebra wasn’t even able to force a legitimate last shot at the other end as time expired.
“That’s the way basketball is. San Miguel (vs. Alaska ) and Alaska (vs. Talk 'N Text) did exactly the same kind play in the eliminations. We copied the same kind of movement when we needed it. As it is, you learn from others. The important thing is the ability to execute,” TNT coach Chot Reyes said afterwards.
Reyes said the first option was for Renren Ritualo to go through multiple screens.
“The other option was for Jimmy (Alapag). We know they would deny him so we made him to be a screener instead of receiver. But Ranidel did play it perfectly. He made a hell of a pass,” Reyes said.
“I’m truly proud of my players. We kept our heads and we stayed calm.”
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More importantly, the defending champions are just a win away from advancing to semifinals against Alaska. They will try to wrap up the series Wednesday when they face the Kings in Game 3 of the best-of-five series.
Jason Castro turned in 19 points to lead six other Tropang Texters in double figures and kept the TNT in the game when the Kings threatened to pull away in the third quarter.
It was a jolting blow for the Kings, who appeared headed to levelling the series at one game apiece when they built a 61-43 lead on Willy Wilson’s basket to start the third period.
But they lost their poise when the Tropang Texters slowly clawed their way back. The Kings attempted from the 3-point range even when there was no need to and missed one too many. Genera went 10 of 31 from the trifecta zone.
But worst, Ginebra missed crucial free throws when the game was separated by just one or two points. The Kings went 29 of 45 from the free throw line and 5 of 16 in the fourth quarter.
“Game Two is lot tougher. I expect the next game to be 10 times tougher. So it’s very important that we come into the game with a sense or urgency,” Reyes said.
JC Intal finished with 23 points and his back-to-back three in the final minute of the fourth gave Ginebra a 104-102 lead. Ronald Tubid, who managed just two points in the series’ opener, came away with 20 points but went silent in the fourth quarter. (DBC)
The scores:
Talk ‘N Text 106 -- Castro 19, Carey 17, De Ocampo R. 16, Dillinger 14, Alapag 13, Cardona 11, Peek 10, Belasco 4, De Guzman 1, Ritualo 1, De Ocampo 0.
Barangay Ginebra 105 -- Intal 23, Tubid 21, Wilson 15, White 9, Baguio 9, Villanueva 9, Caguio 9, Menk 9, Cruz 2, Alvarez 0, Slvacion 0.
Quarterscores: 24-27; 43-59; 78-82; 106-105
Source: Author Unknown | PBA.ph
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