TNT goes for third straight win

MANILA—As challenger Rain or Shine is still hounded by its shooting problem, defending champion Talk ‘N Text aims for a commanding 3-0 lead when they clash in Game 3 of the 38th PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

Down 2-0, coach Yeng Guiao vowed to exert all means to at least prevent the Tropang Texters from getting a third straight win.

Ranidel de Ocampo and Jayson Castro starred in the Tropang Texters’ spirited play to secure their second win (89-81) in Game 2 last Friday, which was a fitting follow-up of their 87-81 victory in the first game.

A win by coach Norman Black’s Texters would move them just a game away from clinching their third straight All-Filipino crown and their sixth overall since joining the league in 1990. Black, who also steered the Ateneo Blue Eagles to five straight championship, is also looking for his 10th title in the professional league. He won a grand slam with San Miguel Beer in 1989.

But the four-time champion Guiao remains confident his wards, who just won the Governor’s Cup title last August, can still pull off the important win that may ignite their once deadly shooting.

The Elasto Painters shot 27 of 76 in the field for a low 35.5 percent, while the Texters hit 33 of 74 for a 44 percent clip.

In the three-point area, the Painters managed only six of 23 compared to the Texters’ 9-of-27.

“Shooting-wise we cannot get any rhythm going. We just could not make the big plays and in the end game we were losing any hope,” said Guiao.