The traditional Christmas dawn Mass has begun and Santa has on his hands two wishes with only the option to grant one.

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So whose shall it be? The Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters’ or the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings’?

Come to think of it, this one is something the portly man with the great white beard and jolly red suit may want to sit out and wait and see. After all, this may be – just maybe – the only time when good and nice could leave one out in the cold while bad and naughty could get one a seat in the best-of-7 semifinals of the PBA Philippine Cup.

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Gametime is at 7 p.m., Tuesday, with a blockbuster crowd expected at the Smart Araneta Coliseum when marquee teams Talk ‘N Text and Barangay Ginebra clash in a do-or-die for the right to face outright qualifier San Miguel Beer in the semis.

Both teams can do away with the comparative stats from their elimination round meeting although the Kings did prevail, 101-81, before a mammoth inaugural audience of 52,000-plus at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan on Oct. 19.

TNT missed the services of De Ocampo and Alapag, who were given extended rest by Uichico following the Incheon Asian Games, and their absence that evening was a big factor when Ginebra broke the game open in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Texters, 30-19.

This second encounter should be more conclusive, given that both squads will be coming in with a full complement of players.

The Texters wrapped up the elims by winning their last four games and seized a spot in the knockout playoffs by drubbing Barako Bull as a twice-to-beat team, 105-76, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo last Friday.

The Kings, meanwhile, absorbed a 90-100 defeat at the hands of Rain or Shine at the end of the elims but returned with a vengeance to clobber GlobalPort, 95-78, in the first phase of the quarterfinals, thus setting up the so-called ‘finals before the Finals’ with Talk ‘N Text.

TNT will be relying on the tried-and-tested dribble-drive offense, a hybrid system patterned after the Korean brand of basketball where basically the point guard attacks the defense and then kicks off to open teammates outside the 3-point arc.

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Late recoveries by the opposition would mean paying a heavy price since TNT is stocked with lights-out gunners and dependable perimeter marksmen. Ball movement and position improvement are also automatic for the Texters if the defense reacts correctly to the first few passes, with cutters ready to slash through unprotected gaps.

Ginebra, on the other hand, could run the old triangle offense just to see how TNT would adjust. If nothing works out of that Triple Post Offense, the Kings are expected to revert to their ferocious run-and-gun style triggered by Tenorio and Joseph Yeo, with the option of dumping the ball inside to 7-footer Greg Slaughter and inviting the double-team to free up Mark Caguioa and Mac Baracael.

Aguilar, Ginebra’s 6-foot-10 rim-bender and leading shotblocker, will be lurking in the perimeter fringes, waiting for his chance to sneak in and grab misses above the rim and jamming them back in.

TNT plays a more organized and deliberate set of offense and the Texters’ patience and confidence in themselves are their best virtues. If they stay focused and faithful to their game plan, keeping the defense at maximum overdrive and forcing turnovers and hurried shots, then they have more than a strong chance of returning to the semis from last season.

If not and Ginebra has its way, turning the sudden death into a free-wheeling playground act and letting its legion of supporters come alive, then the closing minutes could resemble the fourth quarter shambles the Texters fell into four weeks ago.

Experiments are usually reserved for long-winded series like the semis and the finals, so neither team is expected to try out new stuff other than what they are most comfortable with. How either would respond defensively could decide which one gains the pivotal edge.

The other quarterfinal pairing, meantime, saw Alaska ousting Meralco Sunday and arranging a rematch of the 2013 Governors’ Cup semis with tormentor Rain or Shine. Game 1 of their series is on Thursday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Santa and his reindeer can fly in once the confetti starts falling and a ballclub is crowned champion. But for now, with one more sudden death and two grueling 7-game series ahead, it’s the Grinch, that anti-holiday spirit, who calls the shots. (WJRHT)

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