If you’ve been reading this blog, then tonight’s result shouldn’t have come as any surprise to you: As expected, Talk N Text finished off the San Miguel Beermen in 6 games to win its second PBA Philippine Cup title in three years. Point guards Jimmy Alapag and Jason Castro shared Finals Most Valuable Player honors, while Ryan Reyes provided the team an emotional lift with an amazing performance that came on the heels of the tragic death of his younger brother.

I’d be the first to admit that I’m a hater, and really, there’s so much to dislike about this Talk N Text team, from the way they ransacked the outgoing Sta. Lucia franchise of its star players, to the organization’s whiny attitude about the officiating, to the way their personnel – from team owner Manny Pangilinan to coach Chot Reyes to their players – seem to carry themselves with a sense of entitlement. Over the course of this conference, I’ve enjoyed rooting against them, and sometimes, watching them lose.

But boy, they didn’t lose much this conference, did they? Yes, they won because of their superior talent – the Tropang Texters seem to run faster, jump higher, and shoot better than any of their opponents on most nights – but there’s also the way they play basketball. For the most part, they play hard, they play tough, they play smart, and they play unselfishly at both ends of the court.

So tonight, I’m putting away the haterade, and talk about how much I admire this Talk N Text team. I am in awe not just of the brilliant basketball mind of Chot Reyes – for my money, the best coach in the league today – but of his willingness to set aside the X’s and O’s to call out his players to bust their asses. I’ve been a big fan of Ryan Reyes since his PBL days (Henkel-Sista FTW!), and he’s one of those special players for whom you don’t need to see a trophy to declare him a champion. I get a kick out of Jimmy Alapag’s balls of steel, and how he always seems to think he’s the best player on the court – for better or worse. I’m excited by Jason Castro, not just because of what he does on the court today, but by what he will do on the court in the years to come. I couldn’t help but be happy for Kelly Williams, who’s finally back on top after what seemed like a career-threatening illness.

There’s so much more to like: the awkward excellence of Ranidel de Ocampo, the Machete body and the Machete game of Ali Peek, the velvet touch of Larry Fonacier, the flashes of wonder from Jared Dillinger, the workmanlike hustle of Harvey Carey and Aaron Aban, and most importantly, the way it all came together for this squad. They seem to genuinely like playing with each other, they share the ball on offense, they’ve got each other’s backs on defense, and they play with tons of heart. At this point, they’re playing some of the best basketball we’ve ever seen played in the PBA. And you can’t ask for anything more from your All-Filipino champions.

Tomorrow, we will all go back to drinking the haterade. But tonight, we celebrate the Talk N Text Tropang Texters, the greatest basketball team in the land.