Tigers beat Phone Pals, 81-73, to keep PBA play-off hopes alive

01/19/2008 | 01:33 AM

The Coca-Cola Tigers kept their hopes alive of entering the play-offs of the 2007-08 Smart-PBA Philippine Cup after a masterful 81-73 demolition of the Talk 'N' Text Phone Pals in their do-or-die game at the Cuneta Astrodome on Friday.

Winning their wildcard pairing, their second over the Phone Pals in three days, earned the Tigers a face-off with the Air21 Express for the fourth and last quarterfinal berth on Sunday.

Man-mountain Asi Taulava, the 6-foot-9' center out of Tonga, got a lot of help from fellow big man and former La Salle stalwart Mark Telan – and the two inspired stars led the Tigers against their former team.

Telan scored a game-high 22 points on a 10-of-15 shooting and summoned all his energy in the third quarter to spark the Tigers' breakaway. Then he worked side by side with Taulava in the fourth to repel the Phone Pals' fierce rallies.

"We wouldn't be here without these two guys," said Coca-Cola head coach Binky Favis of his two workhorses who were highly motivated to beat their former team.

But for all their tireless efforts, the heroics of the two big fellows were nearly overshadowed by the courage and toughness of rookie Ronjay Buenafe, whose clutch hits down the stretch cushioned the impact of TNT's final comeback bid.

The rookie-forward eventually finished the game with six points.

Taulava, who vowed that his team of eight seasons will pay dearly for trading him, managed just 13 points on 5-of-21 shooting, but he grabbed 16 rebounds as the Tigers pounded the Phone Pals off the boards, 56-47.

"I feel better," Taulava said. "And what can I say, Mark really played great tonight. I think I was too excited to play tonight I couldn't get anything right. But I'm thankful to coach and my teammates for their patience. I so happy we're (still alive) in the playoffs."

During the post-game conference, Taulava also took the opportunity to apologize to his former bosses at TNT if he had said something that offended them.

"I might have offended some of my bosses with the way I played against Talk 'N' Text," he said. "But nothing personal. I just want to prove something. I hope they understand."

It was a jolting blow for the Phone Pals, who completely blew away their hopes of making the playoffs.

Mac Cardona finished with a team high 22 points but missed important baskets and free throws in the fourth when it mattered.

Ali Peek, the only other Phone Pal in double digits in scoring, added 14 for the Pals, which was held to their lowest output this conference for the second straight game.

The Tigers got off to a good start and built a comfortable 20-8 lead late in the first quarter.

The Pals rallied to keep the game close but that was all they could do.

The Tigers held a 73-65 lead with under six minutes to play, but Cardona led a mighty charge by the Phone Pals, who pulled within 71-73 with 4:13 remaining.

But Buenafe hit a huge basket then made two free throws as the Tigers closed the game with an 8-0 run.

Scores:

Coca-Cola (81): – Telan 22, Taulava 13, Enrile 8, Arigo7, Buenafe 6, Isip 6, Cabagnot 5, Dimaunahan 5,Tolomia 4, Calimag 3, Misolas 0

Talk 'N Text (73): – Cardona 22, Peek 14, Washington 8, Allado 7, Ritualo 6, Alapag 5, Carey 4, Belano 4, De Ocampo 3, Aljamal 0

Quarters: 23-15; 38-37; 64-57; 81-73


Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/77139/Tigers-beat-Phone-Pals-81-73-to-keep-PBA-play-off-hopes-alive