The Possibility of “Blaze Boosters – Tropang Texters III”

Hold it PBA fans, I know it’s very too early to tell whether this trilogy will happen or not, but I’m pretty sure (not to offend the other teams) that this trilogy must end now, not in the Commissioner’s Cup or even in the Governor’s Cup.

The idea of this trilogy came up when Talk N Text star, Jason Castro, said on his interview that Petron managed to slam the grand slam run of his team its because they (Castro, Alapag and Carey) is injured.

Whoa! Is that so? How about Jay Washington? Lordy Tugade? Joseph Yeo? and Rabeh Al-Husseini? Or even Danny Ildefonso? All of them, except Ildefonso, did not play in the Finals because of injuries.

Because of his statement, maybe accidentally or intentionally, ignited the fuel of Petron fans all over the basketball community and can’t wait for another showdown in the Finals to end this endless debate about who’s who in terms of basketball supremacy.

Let us enumerate the possible reasons why this match up becomes a reality for this conference.

Roster Comparison

Of all the ten teams in the PBA, the Boosters and the Texters has all the tools to become a certified champion in terms of roster. From Center up to the Point Guard position all the way to their bench and even their coaching staff, both teams are very competitive.

Boasting for the Texters are 2011 PBA MVP Jimmy Alapag, 2011 Most Improved Player Jason Castro, former PBA Rookies of the Year Ryan Reyes, Larry Fonacier and Rich Alvarez, former PBA MVP Kelly Williams, Ranidel de Ocampo, Ali Peek and Gilas Center Japeth Aguilar.

For the Boosters, they have PBA 2011 Finals MVP Arwind Santos, 2 time MVP Danny Ildefonso, Alex Cabagnot, Cebuano Hotshot Dondon Hontiveros, 2011 PBA Draft 1st pick Noy Baclao, Denok Miranda, Carlos Sharma, Rey Guevarra, Joseph Yeo and top rookie Chris Lutz.

Based on their line ups, it’s all about offense versus defense. TNT is one of the great offensive teams in the PBA averaging more than 100 points per game, on the other hand, PBB is known for their choking defense, allowing their opponents to score 70 points or less per game.

Coaching Philosophy

Coach Chot Reyes, aside from his fashionable get ups during games and his “teleserye” scripts whenever the team loses, is one of the great X’s and O’s in terms of coaching strategy. He firmly believes that once a system is installed within the team and familiarized it, no one can ruin it except for the players itself. We enjoyed his reactions about how their import sucked during the finals and replaced by their original import, how Ali Peek and Kelly Williams “disappeared” in the game, and his press conference that Jason Castro will be out for the series because of injury and yet he appeared in the next game and whooped the Boosters in one game in that series.

Ato Agustin is somehow the opposite of Chot Reyes. His system is patterned on how the players’ rhythm and composure. His signature statement “Go Hard lang Kami”, is very evident especially in the Governor’s Cup. Agustin is also a type of the coach that pays a lot of attention in installing defense to his team.

Great offense versus tight defense, a must see in this trilogy.

Bragging Rights

We all know that in PBA, it’s all about SMC vs. MVP, Ramon S. Ang vs. Manny V. Pangilinan. This trilogy will make a statement about who’s the best in the league, which dynasty will prevail this time.

The bad blood still exists for both teams. Remember the “word war” between Agustin and Reyes, which the former wanted to end the series with a fist fight and calling the latter as one of the “bekimons” in the league because of his fashion statement and not accepting Agustin’s offer?

How about the statement given by “The Blur” Jason Castro that Petron won the Governor’s Cup because of the injuries suffered by the team? To think that Petron’s key players like Husseini, Washington, Yeo and Tugade are also injured.

So this is it! This trilogy must end this Philippine Cup.