Do-or-Die Sunday, But will Talk ’N Text play?

Talk ’N Text governor Ricky Vargas will recommend to team owner Manny V. Pangilinan for the appearance of the Tropang Texters in the do-or-die Game 5 of their quarterfinals series against the Ginebra Kings in the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup this Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.

Vargas, who flew to Hong Kong last Saturday for an important business meeting, is set to arrive this Sunday and will meet Pangilinan, who is also the president of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP).

“I will recommend to MVP we play tomorrow,” Vargas said, adding that he could have arrived late last night to attend a team meeting with Pangilinan but failed to book a flight back.

However, Vargas said that there should be fairness in the calls of the referees to avoid what happened in Game 4 which TNT forfeited by walking out following a controversial foul called on forward Ranidel de Ocampo.

“We would like to be assured fairness and the refs associated with these unfairness not be allowed to referee the game. We will not hesitate to walk out (again) if such unfairness continues,” Vargas said. “We can no longer tolerate unfairness and will not allow ourselves to go down to that level.”

The walk out ensued after the 6-foot-5 de Ocampo was assessed a Flagrant Foul Penalty 2 (F2) for bumping hard and hitting a driving Ginebra guard Ronald Tubid with an elbow to the face late in the first quarter of Game 4 last Friday at the Araneta Coliseum.

The game between TNT and Ginebra is set at 6:30 p.m., right after the other no-tomorrow game in the other quarterfinals series featuring Rain or Shine and Purefoods.

The Elasto Painters tied their own best-of-five series with the Giants, 2-2, with a 103-100 victory in Game 4 as point guard Sol Mercado scored 24 points, Gabe Norwood added 20 markers, while veteran forward Eddie Laure buried a big triple late in the game.

Purefoods won Games 1 (90-85) and 2 (95-94), but Rain or Shine foiled a sweep when it came back in Game 3 with a 95-92 win last Wednesday.

All eyes, however, are on the controversial TNT-Ginebra series.

“It’s hard for us to process right now because we’re a very demoralized team,” said TNT coach Chot Reyes after meeting PBA Commissioner Sonny Barrios at the PBA office in Libis, Quezon City together with team manager Virgil Villavicencio last Saturday.

“We feel like we’re in the short end of the stick. Our mindset is very demoralized. It’s unfortunately they (PBA) saw it that way,” he added.

Villavicencio said they appealed to Barrios to reconsider band downgrade de Ocampo’s misdemeanor to F1 instead of F2, which penalizes the culprit with an automatic one-game suspension and a fine of P20,000.

“But if you ask my personal thoughts about it, I’ll recommend that we play,” Villavicencio said.

As this developed, several sources said that several officials and players of TNT already requested for Game 5 tickets.

“If that’s any indication, Talk ’N Text will play (Game 5). It’s already sold out,” said a source.

As for Barrios, he said that he’s optimistic that TNT will play, saying: “I hope and pray to see them in Game 5. I don’t want to think of the negative things. I kept on harping that I’ll see them in the game.”

Barrios also said he did not discuss the team penalty of P500,000 for forfeiting Game 4, saying that this could be discussed after the quarterfinals series.

Games Sunday (Araneta Coliseum)
4 p.m. — Purefoods vs Rain or Shine
6:30 p.m. — Ginebra vs Talk ’N Text

Source: Waylon Galvez  | Manila Bulletin