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The TNT Tropang Texters (also known as the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters) is a professional basketball team currently owned by Smart Communications, a subsidiary of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) since 1990. The franchise began in 1990 when Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines, Inc. (PCPPI) acquired a PBA franchise. Under PCPPI, the franchise played under the names Pepsi and 7 Up. In 1996, the franchise came under the control of Pilipino Telephone Corporation (Piltel) and played under the name Mobiline. In 2001, the franchise was renamed Talk 'N Text after the operations of Piltel was absorbed by Smart Communications. The team is currently one of three PBA teams under the control of businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan – the others are the MERALCO Bolts and NLEX Road Warriors. To date, the franchise has won seven official PBA titles (and one special PBA tournament championship) and remains as one of the league's powerhouses. ==Pepsi-Cola/7-Up (Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines, Inc., 1990-1996)== Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines, Inc. was accepted as one of two new members of the PBA during the 1990 season, joining soft drink rival Pop Cola. They were known as the Pepsi Hotshots in their maiden year 1990. Their first coach was Ed Ocampo, assisted by Olympian Bobby Littaua, and Team Manager was Steve Watson. After winning its inaugural game vs fellow expansion team Pop Cola, 149–130, with import Derek Hamilton scoring 77 points, the Hotshots lost all their remaining games in the first conference. Their 15-game losing streak stretched into the All-Filipino, before they finally won over Diet Sarsi, formerly Pop Cola. In the third conference, San Miguel Beermen assistant coach Derrick Pumaren replaced Ed Ocampo as the Hotshots' head coach, and the Pepsi franchise went 0 wins, 10 losses in the season-ending tournament. In 1991, Pepsi acquired Manny Victorino from Presto, and the team increased its number of wins, but still failed to make it past eliminations in the first two conferences. They attempted to become a competitive team by offering a 5-year, P25 million contract to Purefoods TJ Hotdogs' top gun Alvin Patrimonio. Patrimonio stayed with Purefoods after his mother team matched the offer. However, this did not stop Pepsi from entering the semifinals and finishing fourth among the eight teams in the third conference. In 1992, Pepsi acquired ROY Eugene Quilban in a trade which sent Jun Reyes to Alaska. The Hotshots placed 7th in the first conference. After the Pepsi "349" controversy,〔http://www.philstar.com/cebu-news/344000/sc-decides-finality-pepsi-349-case〕 the team was renamed as the 7-Up Uncolas. 7-Up placed runner-up in the 1992 Reinforced Conference. Their import was an NBA veteran point guard, Dell Demps. They were swept by the Swift Mighty Meaties, led by Tony Harris in the finals, 4–0. 〔http://mypba.com/forum/index.php?s=&showtopic=776&view=findpost&p=44535〕 Prior to the finals, 7-Up and Swift were fined on a so-so game where Swift intentionally lost the match in order to eliminate Ginebra from the finals race. 7-Up was bannered by players Manny Victorino, Abet Guidaben, Eugene Quilban and Naning Valenciano. Quilban recorded 28 assists during a game that year, which is still a PBA record. Despite getting 2nd overall pick Victor Pablo, 7-Up failed to reach the semifinals in the first two conferences of the season. In the third conference, the team's name reverted to Pepsi Hotshots. They eventually placed fourth in the 1993 Governor's Cup. Before the 1994 PBA Governor's Cup, Pepsi and Sunkist were involved in a rare coaching trade that saw Derrick Pumaren moving to the RFM franchise for Yeng Guiao. Despite the coaching change, Pepsi's on-and-off performance continued with their best finish, taking third place in the 1994 Governor's Cup with import Ronnie Coleman. In the 1995, even with a strong start in the Governor's Cup, they had a 5–2 win-loss card but never took home a trophy at the end of the tournament. Pepsi was also known as a hard-luck PBA team because it never found considerable success after finishing runner-up in the 1992 Reinforced Conference. After it failed to land Alvin Patrimonio in 1991, the ballclub attempted again in 1995 to dangle a 5-year, P28.8 million contract to Sta. Lucia Realtors' main man Jun Limpot. However, Sta. Lucia matched the offer and Pepsi had to contend with blue-collar players in Alvin Teng (acquired from San Miguel in exchange for Victor Pablo), Dindo Pumaren (from Purefoods in exchange for Richie Ticzon), Eugene Quilban and Boy Cabahug to lead the team. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「TNT Tropang Texters」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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