It was a hair-trigger decision that would have far-reaching consequences, ignite a war of words between two upper echelon coaches in the Philippine Basketball Association, and spark a fiasco bordering in public relations nightmare.

It would also lure 22,000 fans to the Araneta Coliseum for Game 5 of the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals between Talk ‘N Text and Barangay Ginebra, two ballclubs that should have been slugging it out in finals but were instead reduced to squaring off in the playoff preliminaries.

When the Tropang Texters walked out late in the first period of Game 4 Friday, indignantly protesting a Flagrant 2 foul on forward Ranidel de Ocampo, the stage was set for a dramatic, if showbiz-laced, confrontation in the last three quarters.

But when they failed to return to the playing court in time, holed up in the dugout for what seemed an eternity while the precious five-minute grace period and two 60-second extensions wound down, the defending champions virtually gave the series, not just the game, away to the imperious Kings.

Recriminations, only a small amount veiled, flew from both camps that evening, especially from Ginebra coach Jong Uichico and Talk ‘N Text mentor Chot Reyes, and landed visibly in black-and-white in the next days’ sports pages.

Clearly, however, the Texters squeezed into a tight fix.

Instead of having two chances to close out the playoffs after taking Games 1 and 2 and dropping Game 3, Talk ‘N Text painted itself into a corner by forfeiting Game 4, giving Ginebra and its horde of fanatical followers the opportunity to be the Texters’ tormentors in Sunday’s Game 5.

And did the Kings’ people come, arriving in droves to provide their team all the homecourt advantage it would need against an opponent ripped out of its combative and competitive frame of mind by the rash turn of events two days earlier.

The uncertainty of their showing up for the do-or-die, a decision arrived at by the TNT bosses either late Saturday night or early in the morning of Game 5, threw the Texters’ preparation in disarray as they reportedly failed to practice the day after Game 4 and arrived at the Araneta Coliseum aboard a team bus Sunday following a hastily-arranged scrimmage at the Moro Lorenzo Sports Center.

Ginebra, in contrast, looked fresh and unaffected by the uproar brought on by the unfortunate incident of last Friday.

And with the sellout throng squarely behind them, cheering them on from every available space from the bleacher section down to special ringside while taunting their rivals with periodic chants of derision, the Kings went on to deal the Texters’ title-retention bid a deathblow, 113-100.

JC Intal, whose coming to his own this conference was instrumental to Ginebra’s success despite injuries to superstars Mark Caguioa and Jayjay Helterbrand, unloaded 28 points, punctuating his emergence with several heart-stopping highlight plays.

Ronald Tubid, usually frenetic, has also blossomed into the impromptu leader of the team in the limited presence of the Fast and the Furious, with the Fearless picking his shots with precision and delivering at the most telling time.

Veteran point guard Celino Cruz, apparently educated and inspired by his association with the great Johnny Abarrientos, has learned to put more premium on organization and order than in breakneck attack, and the frontline triumvirate of Eric Menk, Rico Villanueva and Billy Wilson had their Texters counterparts on short leash.