Back to winning for TNT

Guess who's back... back again

The sound you're probably hearing these days is the league-wide chill crawling up the spine of every other team in the on-going PBA Commissioner's Cup and here's why:

After a so-so start with initial reinforcement Keith Benson, the Talk 'n' Text Tropang Texters appear to have found their groove now that "old reliable" Donnel Harvey is back in town. Don't take us wrong here, the 6"11 Benson had an impressive five game performance averaging close to 24 points and 16 rebounds a night-- but the Texters didn't really seem to have the same on-court chemistry and cohesion with him on board.

Enter Harvey. Let's be honest here, the NBA-CBA veteran is in no ways better offensively than Benson. What he is however, or what he brings to the table,is him being a more polished defender on the block despite his 6"8 frame and familiarity with his Texters teammates (save for recently acquired Rabeh Al Hussaini of course).

He had a rough outing versus Barako Bull, playing only 26 minutes but still managing to finish with 8 points and 10 boards. Last night, he was doing all the dirty work, grinding in the post to put together 23 and 9 boards while helping to "control" Rain or Shine's 7"2 finesse import Bruno Sundov.

With Harvey knowing his role on the floor, the Texters suddenly flashed their old, deadly form. Stars like Larry Fonacier, Jayson Castro and Ranidel de Ocampo were picking their spots on the floor and making shot after shot and just about everyone started pitching in on the defensive end--continuously rotating and helping as opposed to when Benson was there and the team was content with just funneling oponents for their import to take care of.

We have a feeling that despite not being atop the standings at the moment, the Texters will make a huge run and make the semifinals as a favorite.