Magnolia Beverage Masters Basketball Games Updates

Magnolia Beverage Masters and Barangay Ginebra Faces Separate Rivals To Start Semis

It's now the start of the semifinals that will be fought between sister teams Magnolia Beverage Masters and Barangay Ginebra Against Air21 Express and Red Bull Barako. The two teams being #3 and #4 respectively after the quarterfinals suddenly became the favorites to win the first battle as their rivals encountered some sort of misfortunes.

Air21 Express will be playing without its prolific import in Steven Thomas. Thomas begged to attend a bootcamp in US but will only be arriving tomorrow. Red Bull on the other hand, losses Carlo Sharma due to a freak accident at home.

The first encounter is always vital for a team who wants to get a quick edge in a best-of-seven series. Without Thomas, I expect the Magnolia Beverage Masters to have a feast inside the shaded lane in terms of inside points and rebounding category. However, Air21 Express should not be taken lightly as it is a capable of staging an upset if you don't respect them.

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Quest for Fiesta finals berths on

Source: Manila Bulletin Online
By Waylon Galvez
July 20, 2008

Will the long layoff be a problem for outright semifinalists Air21 and Red Bull? Can Magnolia Beverage Masters and Barangay Ginebra sustain the momentum from their respective quarterfinal wins?

How will the Express – with an all-Filipino lineup – fare against the Magnolia Beverage Masters? Who’s better between two 7-footers, the Kings’ Chris Alexander or the Bulls’ Adam Parada?

Answers to these questions will be known in part today as the best-of-seven semifinals showdowns pitting Air21 against Magnolia Beverage Masters and Red Bull versus Ginebra in the Smart-PBA Fiesta Cup unwrap at the Astrodome in Pasay City.

The Express and the Magnolia Beverage Masters clash at 4:30 p.m., while the Bulls and the Kings collide at 6:50.

Air21 (12-6) and Red Bull (11-7) finished the elimination round with the best two records to earn automatic semifinals seats, but are coming off long layoffs -- the Express almost three weeks and the Bulls two weeks.

This is why "rustiness" is an issue for both teams although coaches Bo Perasol of Air21 and Yeng Guiao of Red Bull expressed confidence that their respective teams are ready to play.

"It can go either way," Perasol, whose team earned a first automatic Final Four slot since joining the PBA in 2002, said. "We are well rested pero di naman kami nagpabaya sa conditioning namin."

"We’ll see (in Gamme 1) if rustiness will have an effect on us," Guiao said.

Magnolia Beverage Masters and Barangay Ginebra, on the other hand, clinched their berths after coming out victorious in their respective quarterfinals series, with the former beating Coca-Cola in three basketball games and the latter sweeping Philippine Cup champion Sta. Lucia Realty in their separate best-of-three playoffs.

One thing going for both Air21 and Red Bull is that they beat their semis rivals twice in the eliminations.

The Express edged the Magnolia Beverage Masters in their first meeting (96-90).

At that time, Magnolia Beverage Masters was with import Jameel Watkins, and although it changed its import in NBA veteran Amal McCaskill, Air21 repeated last June 25 (90-88) on Steven Thomas’ basketball game-winning jumper.

However, Air21 will play minus Thomas, who will return only tomorrow after attending a three-day training camp in La Vegas intended for imports wishing to play as reinforcement in the Korean Basketball League (KBL) this October.

"Offensively and defensively we need to step up," Perasol said. "We’re ready mentally and physically even without Thomas. The locals committed and accepted the challenge to win (Gamme 1)."

It should have been Thomas, who averaged 23.4 points and 16.6 rebounds in the elimination round, defending McCaskill but now Perasol will rotate bigmen Homer Se, Enrvin Sotto and Doug Kamer to defend the 7-foot import.

Magnolia Beverage Masters coach Siot Tanquingcen said that Air21’s youthful lineup is also a concern, with its running basketball game anchored by Arwind Santos and Nino Cañaleta.

"They have fresh legs and they can run, so we have to fins ways to limit their scoring," Tanquingcen said, adding that Danny Seigle is day-to-day after he did not play in the quarters due to strained leg muscle.

Aside from McCaskill’s inside basketball game, the Magnolia Beverage Masters will also rely on the perimeter shooting of Dondon Hontiveros, Lordy Tugade and Mike Cortez.

The Bulls also downed he Kings twice in the elimination last March 30 (89-83) and June 1 (86-82).

That was the last time Ginebra dropped a basketball game as it won its last eight, six in the elimination and two in the quarters opposite SLR.

"They’re really playing well right now," Guiao said. "We have to match their intensity on both ends. Playing solid defense is also important as we try to limit their import and locals."

The Kings’ Alexander (20.5 points, league best 22.5 rebounds and 3.0 shot blocks) and the Bulls’ Mexican reinforcement Parada (21.7 points and 15.6 rebounds) will be the focal point of their teams’ defense and offense.

Aside from the imports, also expected to contribute are the locals.

While Ginebra will lean on Mark Caguioa, Jayjay Helterbrand Eric Menk, Rafi Reavis, Sunday Salvacion and Paul Artadi, Red Bull will rely on Cyrus Baguio, Mic Pennisi, Mike Hrabak, Celino Cruz and Rich Alvarez.