Danny Ildefonso again turned back the hands of time as the aging forward flashed his old deadly offensive form to lift the Petron Blaze Boosters to a scintillating, 85-82 win over defending champions Talk ‘N Text in Game 4 of their best-of-seven semifinal series of the 37th PBA Philippine Cup last night at the Araneta Coliseum.
The narrow win was the Boosters’ third straight in the series since dropping Game 1, building a commanding 3-1 series lead to move a game away from earning a second straight Finals appearance.
The 35-year-old Ildefonso starred in the crucial victory, firing 22 points on a high 11-for-14 shooting from the field. The two-time Most Valuable Player (MVP) awardee also collected seven rebounds and four assists.
“Danny I. is Danny I. He is a two-time MVP and he knows what to do in a situation like this. I have so much trust in him,” said Petron head coach Ato Agustin.
The two teams figured in a see-saw battle in the closing seconds of the game where Ildefonso shone the brightest.
The Boosters took a, 77-72 lead in the final six minutes but the Texters went on an 8-2 run to take the lead, 80-79, with 3:09 left.
Ildefonso gave the Boosters the lead back, 81-80, but two free throws by Ali Peek put the Texters on top again, 82-81, with 1:58 to go.
The two squads traded empty plays before Ildefonso connected on a huge jumper from the right elbow, giving Petron the lead for good, 83-82, time down to 55.7 seconds.
Ranidel de Ocampo misfired a three-pointer in Talk N Text’s possession and the Texters gave up a crucial offensive rebound with 12.8 seconds left.
Chris Lutz made a three-point game by completing two free throws in the final 9.3 seconds before De Ocampo and Jimmy Alapag bungled three-point attempts in the next plays, allowing Petron to escape with the hard-earned win.