A second straight championship is just a breath away for the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters.
But Texters head coach Chot Reyes isn’t counting Barangay Ginebra out just yet. He knows that if there’s one team capable of clawing back from a very deep hole, it’s Ginebra.
The Texters gun for the PBA Commissioner’s Cup title, while the Kings fight to live another day as they clash in Game Five of their best-of-seven championship series today at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Texters grabbed a commanding 3-1 series lead after nailing a come-from-behind 91-84 victory in last Wednesday’s Game Four.
Reyes stressed the Texters could not afford to let their guards down, not against a Ginebra team known for its never-say-die attitude.
Ginebra has shown it has what takes to come back from a 1-3 Finals series deficit.
In the league’s previous 35 seasons, only Ginebra has managed to come back from such a daunting finals deficit, pulling off the feat against Shell in the 1991 First Conference.
“While we were walking off the court, I told my players ‘It’s not over.’ We need to get four (wins). We must still find a way to come back and play our best game in the series on Friday,” said Reyes after their impressive Game Four victory. “Ginebra in a do-or-die situation is always a dangerous opponent, so we’ve got to be at our best.”
“There’s no quit in them,” added Reyes. “We may hit some right spots, rough stretches, but there’s simply no quit in this team.”
Despite staring a 1-3 deficit, Ginebra coach Jong Uichico remains upbeat.
“It doesn’t mean that we’ll come out Friday without heart. We’ve got to come in every game and try to win,” said Uichico.