I felt bad for Talk ‘N Text forward Ranidel de Ocampo. During Game 1 of
the 2012-13 PBA Philippine Cup semifinals between Talk ‘N Text and
Alaska, de Ocampo tried to guard Alaska’s Sonny Thoss at the post. Poor
Ranidel. Sonny backed him up. Dribble. Bump. Ouch. Dribble. Bump. Ouch.
Drop step. Bump. Ouch. Two points. Ranidel felt every bump from Sonny’s
massive posterior. I felt Ranidel’s pain by just watching.
Thoss produced 14 points and 14 rebounds against Talk ‘N Text in Game 1. In the fourth quarter of that game, he grabbed rebounds when he wanted to and scored quickly when he moved to his sweet spots. Although Alaska lost the game by one point, the way Talk ‘N Text scrambled to defend Thoss, sometimes sending four players to collapse on him, revealed Sonny’s relevance and Alaska’s fighting chance in this best-of-seven series.
Sonny as a sort of a Talk ‘N Text-neutralizer? Former teammate and close friend LA Tenorio wasn’t surprised. Two nights before Game 1, LA told Sonny, “No one from TNT can stop you.”
In a way, this has always been Tenorio’s job, to push Sonny into action, to convince Sonny that he’s better than the other centers in the league, to embolden Sonny to dominate in the PBA.
“Walang pantapat sa kanya ang mga PBA teams. Kahit Talk ‘N Text. Kahit any team,” Tenorio, who now plays for Ginebra, said. “Kaya lang tahimik si Sonny talaga and minsan nadadala niya personality niya sa laro. Nadadala niya yung quiet personality niya.”
Sonny is like the big kid in class who never bullies the smaller kids. He’ll be the one to say sorry when someone accidentally bumps him during recess. Yup, siya pa mag-so-sorry. He’s that nice.
Yet every now and then, we see Sonny’s mean streak during games. It comes out. Maybe not as often as Alaska would prefer. But we’ve seen it. And in Game 1, I believe Alaska saw it. I’m guessing Talk ‘N Text saw it too. He attacked TNT defenders and snatched rebounds with dignified rage in Game 1. If Alaska wants to beat Talk ‘N Text, he’ll probably need to sustain this for the rest of the series.
“Kung may center kami sa Ginebra na tulad ni Sonny, bibigyan ko siya ng bola all the time,” Tenorio admitted. “Tapos I will always tell him that no one can stop him in the PBA. Kasi totoo naman. Kailangan lang may mag-push talaga.”
It’s the perfect situation for Thoss. Let Calvin Abueva grab attention. Let Jvee Casio take three-point shots. Let Cyrus Baguio make acrobatic tricks. So Thoss can concentrate on the good stuff down low. So he can focus on pure, classic back-to-the-basket moves. Because this series can redefine Sonny Thoss. He can make Talk ‘N Text look vulnerable. He can make people ask, “Kraken who?” He can give Alaska the winning chance it needs.
“Kayang-kaya mo naman eh,” LA told Sonny. “This is the time na ipakita mo that this Alaska team is yours.” - AMD, GMA News
Thoss produced 14 points and 14 rebounds against Talk ‘N Text in Game 1. In the fourth quarter of that game, he grabbed rebounds when he wanted to and scored quickly when he moved to his sweet spots. Although Alaska lost the game by one point, the way Talk ‘N Text scrambled to defend Thoss, sometimes sending four players to collapse on him, revealed Sonny’s relevance and Alaska’s fighting chance in this best-of-seven series.
Sonny as a sort of a Talk ‘N Text-neutralizer? Former teammate and close friend LA Tenorio wasn’t surprised. Two nights before Game 1, LA told Sonny, “No one from TNT can stop you.”
In a way, this has always been Tenorio’s job, to push Sonny into action, to convince Sonny that he’s better than the other centers in the league, to embolden Sonny to dominate in the PBA.
“Walang pantapat sa kanya ang mga PBA teams. Kahit Talk ‘N Text. Kahit any team,” Tenorio, who now plays for Ginebra, said. “Kaya lang tahimik si Sonny talaga and minsan nadadala niya personality niya sa laro. Nadadala niya yung quiet personality niya.”
Sonny is like the big kid in class who never bullies the smaller kids. He’ll be the one to say sorry when someone accidentally bumps him during recess. Yup, siya pa mag-so-sorry. He’s that nice.
Yet every now and then, we see Sonny’s mean streak during games. It comes out. Maybe not as often as Alaska would prefer. But we’ve seen it. And in Game 1, I believe Alaska saw it. I’m guessing Talk ‘N Text saw it too. He attacked TNT defenders and snatched rebounds with dignified rage in Game 1. If Alaska wants to beat Talk ‘N Text, he’ll probably need to sustain this for the rest of the series.
“Kung may center kami sa Ginebra na tulad ni Sonny, bibigyan ko siya ng bola all the time,” Tenorio admitted. “Tapos I will always tell him that no one can stop him in the PBA. Kasi totoo naman. Kailangan lang may mag-push talaga.”
It’s the perfect situation for Thoss. Let Calvin Abueva grab attention. Let Jvee Casio take three-point shots. Let Cyrus Baguio make acrobatic tricks. So Thoss can concentrate on the good stuff down low. So he can focus on pure, classic back-to-the-basket moves. Because this series can redefine Sonny Thoss. He can make Talk ‘N Text look vulnerable. He can make people ask, “Kraken who?” He can give Alaska the winning chance it needs.
“Kayang-kaya mo naman eh,” LA told Sonny. “This is the time na ipakita mo that this Alaska team is yours.” - AMD, GMA News
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