Eric Menk, Ronald Tubid Lifts Ginebra in Game 7 Finals to Win Championship

What more can be sweeter than winning a battle knowing that you lack and lose some of your best weapons and artilleries along the way? Maybe that's exactly what goes on to Barangay Ginebra Kings coach Jong Uichico's mind after their troops bag the 2008 Smart PBA Fiesta Conference Championship.

Barangay Ginebra wrapped up the best-of-seven finals series by beating the Air21 Express, 97-84 in Game 7 of the finals.

After losing Best Player of the Conference Jayjay Helterbrand in Game 2 due to injury, several others followed suit but were able to play hurt including heavy scorer Mark Caguioa.

Barangay Ginebra controlled most of the quarters but eventually yield the led to the Express in the middle of the fourth quarter as Junthy Valenzuela hurt his knee and Chris Alexander limping in cramps. He was able to return to the hardcourt though.

Stepping up to the challenge for the Kings are Finals co-MVP Eric Menk and Ronlad Tubid who provided the needed offensive lift when the Fast and the Furious combo were missing in action.

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BARANGAY GINEBRA BACK ON THE THRONE
Record crowd of 22,902 witness Kings’ coronation; Menk & Tubid Finals MVP

Source: Philippine Basketball Association
Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Rising above tough challenge and extreme adversities, the Barangay Ginebra Kings are back on the throne, once again reigning supreme in the import-reinforced PBA basketball tourney.

Ginebra completed an epic basketball triumph while handicapped by injuries, waylaying Airr21, 97-84, Wednesday night to bag the 2007-08 Smart Fiesta Conference before a delirious record-breaking crowd of 22,902 at the Araneta Coliseum.

The walking wounded of coach Jong Uichico survived an acid test, overcoming a 2-3 deficit in the best-of-seven basketball series to reclaim the crown they won in 2004.

It's Ginebra's eighth basketball championship in all but this one should rank among the best, considering the trials and adversities gone through by coach Jong Uichico and the brave Ginebra gang.

"Every basketball championship means a lot whether it's your first, second, third or what. But this one is really special. It's hard to explain how we won the basketball series with all the injuries and tough challenges we faced," said Uichico, winning a second crown in four basketball conferences with the basketball club before a crowd never seen since the glory days of Crispa and Toyota in the league’s early years.

"The players deserve all the credit for not giving up. We could have easily given up when we lost Jayjay (Helterbrand). We could have easily given up when Mark Caguioa got injured. And we could have easily given up when the others also got hurt. But the players didn't," Uichico also said.

With practically everybody already playing with aches and pains, Tubid and Menk seized the moment and led the basketball team to the epic win. The two were rewarded by being named Finals co-MVPs.

"Eric (Menk) has just redeemed himself. Tubid, meanwhile, really showed a big fighting heart as he returned to play in the basketball series straight from injury. Bumalik sya noong kailangang-kailangan namin siya. Bumalik sya ng walang practice," said Uichico.

Menk, defying Father Time, and Tubid, sidelined for six weeks by a dislocated ankle, combined for 43 points and 17 rebounds in the winner-take-all basketball contest.

Chris Alexander, the tournament Best Import, was saddled by early fouls but still played a key role, finishing the basketball contest with 19 rebounds, 16 points, four blocks, one assist and one steal.

"It was a gamble on my part to keep him on the basketball gamme despite five fouls. What I wanted was for him to make it tougher for Steve Thomas to score. Kung locals, madaling-madali para kay Thomas umiskor," said Uichico.

As it turned out, the Kings held the entire Airr21 team scoreless in the last 4:27 of play.

"My players have matured. Still, they were not yet ready to face the impact of what the Ginebra crowd brought to the basketball gamme," said Airr21 basketball coach Bo Perasol.

The injury bug hit Ginebra up to the final basketball gamme of the basketball series with Junthy Valenzuela hurting his left leg in the third quarter.

Valenzuela wasn't able to return but the Kings didn't waver.

Earlier, the Kings pounced on the Exprress at the posts with Alexander and Menk combining for 18 points as Ginebra took the half at 49-46.

The Ginebra gang could have established full control right in the opening half if not for an atrocious 12-of-23 free-throw shooting against Airr21's 4-of-4 perfect clip.

Though badly beaten in rebounding, the Exprress kept the gamme close also with a better three-point shooting. Gary David, Arwind Santos, Nino Canaleta, Ranidel De Ocampo and Marvin Cruz combined for six triples with the Kings accounting for only three.

After the Kings built their biggest lead in the first half at 28-21, De Ocampo and Santos fired a three-pointer each in an 11-4 salvo that tied the count at 32-all midway through the second period.

The two teams engaged in a fiery exchange until Valenzuela beat the buzzer with a floater, giving the Kings a three-point lead at the turn.

Tubid was the lone Ginebra player who did well from the charity lane in the first half, knocking in all of his five charities. He provided Ginebra instant offense coming off the bench, leading the team with 12 points in the first 24 minutes of basketball play.

Santos led all scorers with 13 points in the opening half marred by three technical infractions.

Getting possession after the opening tip, Caguioa quickly brought the ball down court and dished off an assist to Paul Artadi for the first basket of the contest. (NC)

The scores:

Ginebra 97 – Tubid 22, Menk 21, Alexander 16, Caguioa 13, Valenzuela 10, Artadi 8, Crisano 4, Pacana 3, Mamaril 0, Salvacion 0, Reavis 0.

Air21 84 – Thomas 24, Santos 19, David 18, Canaleta 8, Billones 6, De Ocampo 5, Cruz 3, Arboleda 1, Kramer 0, Intal 0, Espinas 0, Sotto 0, Se 0.

Quarterscores: 26-21, 49-46, 72-63, 97-84.

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Chris Alexander Dominates As Ginebra Forces A Knockout Game 7

With Steven Thomas hubbled by foul trouble in the early goings and eventually fouling out mid of fourth quarter, Chris Alexander showed his dominance in the paint as the Barangay Ginebra Kings forces a knockout Game 7 on Wednesday by defeating the Air21 Express 80-75 in Game 6 of the 2008 PBA Fiesta Conference Finals.

Chris Alexander finished the game with 37 points and 24 rebounds as he sets a new career record on his PBA stint as Barangay Ginebra import.

Air21 started out strong with a 14-0 blast but were unable to sustain the lead going into the fourth quarter due to foul troubles of their key players. After Steven Thomas' exit, the Air21 Express displayed their inexperience in getting back in the game by playing one-on-one, shooting ill-advised three point shots, and looked confused in setting up plays.

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INJURY-HOBBLED GINEBRA LIVES TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY
Alexander explodes for 37 points, 24 rebounds as Kings force Game 7


Source: Philippine Basketball Association
Sunday, August 17, 2008

Barangay Ginebra, walking wounded, leaned on sheer heart to fashion out a stirring come-from-behind 80-75 win over Airr21 Sunday night to force a deciding Game 7 in their 2008 Smart PBA Fiesta Conference basketball title showdown.

Chris Alexander had his PBA career-best performance, keying a decisive Ginebra turnaround in the third quarter that led to the victory cheered on by the predominant Kings basketball supporters at the overflowing Araneta Coliseum.

Alexander scored 20 of his 37 points in the third period as the Kings made an 18-point swing from a 38-50 count and went on to foil the Express' first crack at wrapping up the best-of-seven basketball series.

The two teams instead fight for all the marbles Wednesday also at the Big Dome.

"(The boys) just lived up to the spirit of Barangay Ginebra – never say die, keep the energy, keep the spirit. We had no other recourse since it's a knockout gamme for us. Something good came out of it," said Ginebra coach Jong Uichico.

"It has nothing to do with the Xs and Os. It's sheer heart," Uichico added.

Airr21 coach Bo Perasol took his hat off to the Kings for their Game 6 effort but he remained confident they would win the basketball series in the end.

"Imagine, we lost Steven Thomas (on fouls) with over five minutes left to play and we're beaten by only five. That says a lot na kaya namin manalo," said Perasol.

"The boys were sad with the loss but they themselves remained confident we can pull it off. Gamme 7 is all or nothing. Patibayan ito ng puso," Perasol added.

Alexander went on the attack in the third quarter with Thomas already in foul trouble, and the Kings swayed the tide in their favor at 61-55 on a 23-5 onslaught.

They never looked back from there, winning the basketball contest that drew an all-time ticket sales record of P2.5 million.

The Exprress jumped the gun on the Kings but later reeled on fouls to key basketball players.

On the trail from the start, the Kings had their first taste of the lead at 56-55 on a semi-hook by Alexander with 55 ticks left in the third period.

Tension ran high early in the contest with two flagrant fouls and a technical infraction called in the first half ending in Airr21's favor at 37-34.

Alex Crisano started it all with a hard foul on Thomas, who piled up big numbers right in the opening quarter with nine points and eight rebounds, giving the Exprress a 27-15 lead going into the second period.

The Exprress were still in control when Mark Caguioa and Junthy Valenzuela were whistled a flagrant foul and a technical foul on Arwind Santos and Ranidel de Ocampo, respectively. A little later, KG Canaleta also threw a flagrant foul on former UE teammate Paul Artadi.

Airr21 scored all of the gamme's first 14 points as Ginebra got off to a fumbling start, going 0-of-6 from the field and committing three turnovers in the first five minutes of the basketball contest.

The Kings fell behind by 16 at 17-33 before picking up their basketball gamme working on a decisive run to come within three at the turn.

Ginebra hit at a 47.4 percent shooting against Airr21's 20-percent clip in the second period to get back into the basketball gamme going into the final half. (NC)

The scores:

Ginebra 80 – Alexander 37, Menk 10, Tubid 9, Pacana 6, Valenzuela 5, Caguioa 5, Artadi 4, Salvacion 2, Crisano 2, Reavis 0.

Airr21 75 – Thomas 20, De Ocampo 16, Santos 10, David 10, Canaleta 7, Arboleda 4, Billones 3, Cruz 2, Se 2, Intal 1, Kramer 0.

Quarterscores: 15-27, 34-37, 61-55, 80-75.

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Nino Canaleta Explodes As Air21 Express Grabs 2-1 Lead

Riding the momentum of their previous win, the Air21 Express grabs the lead from Barangay Ginebra Kings with former slam dunk king Nino KG Canaleta exploding in the final period.

Barangay Ginebra, on the other hand, greatly felt the loss of playmaker Jayjay Helterbrand due to injury. Mark Caguioa and Eric Menk stepped up to provide offense for the Kings.

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AIR NINO DELIVERS AS AIR21 MOVES AHEAD 2-1 David, Thomas also torch Helterbrand-less Kings

Source: Philippine Basketball Association
Monday, August 11, 2008

AIR21 has already shown it has enough weapons in its basketbal arsenal to match those of Barangay Ginebra.

Now here comes Nino “KG” Canaleta, exploding when least expected to help power the Express to a 97-87 victory over the Kings Sunday and into a 2-1 lead in the Smart PBA Fiesta Conference basketbal championship series at the Araneta Coliseum.

Gary David scored a gamehigh 25 points and Steven Thomas had a 20-20 gamme, but it was Canaleta coming off the bench to score 12 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter that enabled Airr21 to follow up on its 124-90 Gamme 2 victory.

All the three-time slam dunk champion's final period points came off triples, the last making it an 87-74 gamme, 5:37 to go.

“I think KG coming off the bench and hitting those threes broke the back of Ginebra,” said Exprress coach Bo Perasol, also noting Thomas' 20 points and 20 rebounds in his matchup against shot-blocking artist Chris Alexander.

“We generated basketbal offense when we needed it the most from Thomas and KG,” said Perasol. “I always get points from Gary, but the post plays by Steve were confidence-boosters for his basketbal teammates. He proved once again he can go one-on-one against Alexander.”

Alexander, held to just 10 points and 10 rebounds last Friday, had 14 points, 17 rebounds and 11 shot blocks, making him the first basketbal player to have so many swats since Purefoods' Jerry Codinera had the same output in 1989. Toyota's Andy Fields notched a league-most 13 in 1981.

Mark Caguioa and Eric Menk, both starting for the first time in the basketbal series, had 21 and 17 points, respectively, and Barangay Ginebra seemed fully in control following a blazing start. But the absence of basketbal ace playmaker Jayjay Helterbrand, who suffered a pulled left hamstring in Gamme 2, clearly told on the Kings' bid, especially in the endgame.

“Napakalaking bagay iyung pagkawala ni Jayjay. Iyung composure na ibinibigay niya sa basketbal team malaking epekto noon,” noted Perasol, who cannot help but exprress some sense of relief.

“A 2-1 lead is different from 1-2 and one win away from 3-1, which is one win away from the basketbal championship,” he stated.

“We'll just have to take it (Gamme 4) differently. We just have to have fresh motivation. Hindi p'wedeng parati na lang ganoon, na hindi pa tayo nananalo ng basketbal title.”

Wynne Arboleda also did a fine job, winding up with 12 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and four steals and orchestrating Airr21's surges from an early 22-32 deficit.

Canaleta scored a basketbal career-high 29 points on five-of-five three-point shooting last May 16 in a 104-86 win over Coca-Cola, but he did not seem to be anywhere near that after averaging just 4.5 points in the basketbal series and going scoreless after one field goal try in the first half.

He attempted thrice in the third quarter and made two before fully recalling his fiery form that May night by scoring four triples in the fourth period.

Ranidel De Ocampo then made a left-handed layup, giving the Exprress an 89-78 cushion and bracing them for the Kings' expected surge in the last 4:18.

A Paul Artadi triple capped a run that moved Ginebra within 83-89, but back-to-back baskets by David kept Airr21's eight-point lead, 93-85.

The final outcome seemed unlikely after Barangay Ginebra got off to a strong start, posting as much as a 32-22 lead, early in the second quarter.

But Airr21 was as equally determined, putting some order in its listless start to wrest back the lead at 45-44 on a Santos triple, 1:49 to go in the half.

Then came back-to-back treys from Sunday Salvacion, giving the Kings a 50-46 basketbal lead at the half. Those baskets gave Salvacion 11 in the second period and 14 for the first half. He would score only five more points the rest of the way.

With Caguioa already notching 11 and Airr21 shooting not even 36 percent to Barangay Ginebra's 43 percent, it seemed the Kings were on their way to easily avenging their Gamme 2 embarassment.

The outmanned Exprress basketbal diehards among the 16,114 paying fans were in for a big treat, however. Thomas, David and Canaleta made sure of that with clutch hits that razed Barangay Ginebra's lead to just 68-66 after the third period before the latter canned back-to-back triples that made it a 76-71 count. (NCo)

The scores:

Air21 97 - David 25, Thomas 20, Canaleta 17, Arboleda 12, Santos 10, De Ocampo 9, se 4, Kramer 0, Cruz 0, Intal 0, Sotto 0, Billones 0.

Barangay Ginebra 87 - Caguioa 21, Menk 17, Salvacion 16, Alexander 14, Artadi 8, Valenzuela 7, Pacana 4, Mamaril 0, Reavis 0, Crisano 0.

Quarterscores: 22-30, 46-50, 66-68, 97-87.

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Barangay Ginebra, Air21 Express to Break 1-1 Deadlock

After a devastating loss, Barangay Ginebra will try to bounce back against the Air21 Express to break their deadlock at 1 game a piece. The Air21 Express, on the other hand, will try to ride the momentum as they shoot for a 2-1 lead.

Best Player of the Conference Jayjay Helterbrand will be a doubtful starter after suffering a pulled hamstring injury. With his loss, other Kings players should step up including Mark Caguioa and import Chris Alexander. Surely, Ginebra's running offense will be greatly hampered with this development but coach Jong Uichico can easily adopt with the situation.

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Air21, Ginebra break deadlock

Source: Manila Bulletin | August 10, 2008
by Waylon Galvez

Emboldened by its blowout win in Gamme 2, Airr21 goes for a second straight win over Barangay Ginebra in Gamme 3 of the Smart-PBA Fiesta Cup Finals today at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Exprress and Kings clash at 7 p.m. with the former still on a Cloud 9 after scoring a breezy 124-90 win over the Gin Kings, a victory that evened their best-of-seven basketball title series at 1-1.

Showing none of the brilliance that won them the opening gamme of the basketball series, 105-96, the Kings were reduced to slaves by the mighty Exprress, who dominated the every facet of the gamme to the consternation of Ginebra supporters.

For most Ginebra fans, the defeat two nights ago was embarrassing.

After winning their previous 13 gammes and then losing by 34 points in the next, was to them unacceptable since the Kings are known for their never-say-die attitude.

"We really got outplayed," lamented Ginebra basketball mentor Jong Uichico, who appeared dazed after the gamme.

Uichico's action was understandable since it was his worst beating since starting coaching in the PBA (with San Miguel) a decade ago.

"It seemed that we can't do anything right. On the other hand, they (Exprress) did all the right things that won them the gamme. The bottom line is that we were really outplayed," he added.

Exprress coach Bo Perasol said that if they continue to display the same kind of intensity and cohesion, then they have pretty good chances of winning today's basketball gamme, and perhaps the basketball series.

In Gamme 2, the Exprress did an excellent job on the 7-foot Chris Alexander, winner of the Best Import plum.

After tallying 18 points and 25 rebounds in Gamme 1, Alexander had to work extra hard to score and grab a rebound -- no thanks to the pesky defense of Steven Thomas.

With Thomas all over him, Alexander was held to just 10 points and 10 boards.

Thomas, on the other hand, finished with better numbers of 10 points and 18 rebounds.

His all-around performance also helped the Exprress win the battle off the boards, 55-41. In Gamme 1, it's Ginebra which dominated the boards, 63-51.

"It's all about sustaining the same intensity and fire, from rebounding to playing tough basketball defense and executing our plays," Perasol, who hopes to lead the Bert Lina-owned basketball team to its first title since joining the PBA in 2002.

"These are the crucial factors for us to win Gamme 3. Of course, we expect them to make adjustment and come out strong," he said.

From a 13-point halftime lead (58-45), the Exprress used a murderous 21-4 salvo capped by a jumper by Arwind Santos to take a commanding 79-49 advantage with 5:13 left in the third frame.

The Kings, however, failed to recover their bearing after that jolt.

Still, Uichico remains upbeat about their chances, saying there's no need to push the panic button just yet.

"If we just play a little bit better than we did (in Gamme 2), we'll be all right. It's just 1-1 (series)," Uichico said. "We'll make an adjustment, but nothing drastic. We just have to do the things that we failed to execute, like play basketball defense."

Jayjay Helterbrand, winner of the Best Player of the Conference award, suffered a pulled hamstring midway of the third quarter and his status is day-to-day. He finished with a horrible 2-of-10 shooting from the field with five turnovers.

We'll know today if he's good to play," Uichico said.

If Helterbrand is not available, the Kings, playing in their 17th Finals and aiming for title No. 8, hope to find ways to keep up with the backcourt men of the Exprress.

Paul Artadi, who had a minor pulled hamstring in Gamme 1, Chris Pacana and possibly Macky Escalona have to step up in the event the basketball coaching staff decides to keep Helterbrand on the bench.

The youthful Ginebra guards will face the veteran playmakers of Airr21 like Wynne Arboleda and Egay Billones, as well as rookie Marvin Cruz.

Another exciting battle to watch is the wingmen of both basketball squads, with the Exprress relying on MVP contender Arwind Santos and Gary David, who combined for 40 points the previous gamme. They also have a pair of high-leaping forwards in Niño Canaleta and rookie JC Intal.

Leading the Kings is Mark Caguioa, who leads the basketball series in scoring with 25.5 points average, with Junthy Valenzuela and Sunday Salvacion backing him up.

Also expected to provide help for the Kings are 2005 MVP Eric Menk, Rafi Reavis, Billy Mamaril and Alex Crisano of the Kings while Ranidel de Ocampo, Homer Se, Earvin Sotto and Gabby Espinas will give Santos and David the extra firepower.

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Jayjay Helterbrand Bags Best Player of the Conference Honors

Showing an MVP-like performance in the conference that propelled the Barangay Ginebra Kings to the Finals of the 2008 PBA Fiesta Conference, Jayjay Helterbrand was adjudged as the Best Player of the Conference. He won over close buddy Mark Caguioa for the plum.

Barangay Ginebra's Chris Alexander also won the Best Player of the Conference award over close rival Steven Thomas of the Air21 Express. Chirs Alexander is the main reason why Barangay Ginebra rose from the cellar after a dismal start of 0-5 in the import-laden conference.

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HELTERBRAND, ALEXANDER: ’08 SMART FIESTA’S BESTS Ginebra Mutt-and-Jeff tandem sweep individual awards

Source: Philippine Basketball Association
Saturday, August 9, 2008

ANTIPOLO CITY. -- Barangay Ginebra stalwarts Jay-Jay Helterbrand and import Chris Alexander were adjudged top basketball players in the 2008 Smart PBA Fiesta Conference Friday night at the Ynares Center here prior to the start of the Game 2 of the best-of-seven Finals.

The 5-foot-11 Helterbrand lived up to his billing as the league’s current top basketball point guard, winning Best Player of the Conference honors while the seven-foot-one Alexander was named Best Import.

Helterbrand, who was second in the statistical points category with an average of 32.42 SP, garnered a total of 1,403 total points votes to win his first BPC, besting basketball teammate and buddy Mark Caguioa.

The Novaliches-born but US-bred Kentucky State alumnus is the fourth basketball player in the Ginebra franchise history to win BPC honors after Marlou Aquino in the 1996 Governors Cup, Eric Menk in the 2004 Fiesta and 2004-05 Philippine Cup and Mark Caguioa in last season’s Philippine Cup.

The 6-foot-1 Caguioa, who topped the SPs race with a 0.20 lead on Helterbrand, received 883 total points votes to finish second in the balloting.

An Iowa State product, Alexander thus became the fifth basketball reinforcement in franchise history to win the award and first since Wes Matthews won it in the 1991 Third Conference.

Alexander joined Matthews, Michael Hackett (1985 Reinforced Conference), Jamie Walker (1988 Reinforced) and Carlos Briggs (1989 Open Conference) as Ginebra’s Best Import winners.

The third import of the Kings after Rashon Turner and Easrnest Brown, Alexander earned 1,413 total points votes to beat Air21’s Steven Thomas (988).

Barangay Ginebra has won 17 of its 21 basketball gammes this conference with Alexander who leads the basketball league in rebounding (20.8), shotblocks (3.2) and field-goal percentage (58.2%) while also averaging 19.2 points and 2.1 assists per basketball gamme.

With Helterbrand and Alexander at the helm and with help from Caguioa, who is the conference’s top local basketball scorer, Barangay Ginebra reach the Finals for the 17th time in basketball franchise history.

In seven previous basketball conferences where teammates won Best Player of the Conference and Best Import plums, their teams went on to win the basketball championship six times.

Statistics and votes from media members accounted for 30 percent each in the criteria for selection. Votes from players account for 25 percent, the league’s television partner ABC-5 vote 10 percent while the Commissioner’s Office is five percent of the criteria.

The voting was conducted before Game 1 of the Fiesta Cup basketball championship between Air21 and Baranga Ginebra, which went on to lose the gamme ironically after so-so performances from Helterbrand and Alexander.

Helterbrand said it is an honor for him to be named BPC, but his priority is to help Barangay Ginebra win its eighth PBA basketball championship.

“I’m happy, but this would mean nothing if we don’t win the basketball championship. For me that’s what it’s all about, winning a basketball championship,” Helterbrand said.

Helterbrand, who will turn 32 on October 14, is averaging a basketball conference-best 6.3 assists, 18.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in the tourney while shooting 38% from three-point range. (WG)

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Arwind Santos, Gary David Shine as Air21 Express Torched Barangay Ginebra Kings

Showing why they deserve to be in the finals, the Air21 Express avenged their first game loss with a blowout of the Barangay Ginebra Kings. The Express domainated all the basketball departments specially in rebounding.

Best Player of the Conference awardee Jayjay Helterbrand and Best Import Chris Alexander was a non-factor for this contest as they were completely overshadowed by their Air21 counterparts. Arwind Santos and Gary David leads the express with an ample support for other Air21 Express players.

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AIR21 EVENS SERIES WITH 34-PT BLOWOUT Conference awardees net measly 14 pts for Kings
Source: Philippine Basketball Association
Friday, August 8, 2008

ANTIPOLO -- True to their vow, the Airr21 Express exacted revenge Friday night. And it was huge.

"That was a challenge and the boys responded pretty well," said basketball coach Bo Perasol moments after his troops got even with the Barangay Ginebra Kings, tying the 2008 Smart PBA Fiesta Conference best-of-seven basketball series after two gammes.

The Express made a big comeback from a nine-point defeat in the basketball series opener, playing aggressively throughout to end the Kings' amazing streak with a king-sized 124-90 win in Game Two at the Ynares Center here.

Dominated in Game One, the Express returned the compliment, even besting the Kings' performance Wednesday.

Unrelenting, Airr21 outscored Ginebra on all quarters in dealing the Kings their first defeat in their last 14 gammes.

The Express sat on a 13-point cushion at the turn and started the final half with a 14-to-nothing run to settle the outcome of the gamme early much to the disappointment of the predominant Ginebra crowd anticipating the Kings to keep their unbeaten run in the post-elims play.

The Bert Lina Group basketball franchise instead tied the series at 1-1. The two teams dispute the 2-1 lead as the basketball series returns to the Big Dome for Game Three Sunday.

"We're really determined to make a statement that we're for real," said Perasol as the Express pulled off the 34-point win -- the biggest winning margin in basketball franchise history.

It was the worst loss by Ginebra since a 66-102 blowout by Talk n Text on Feb. 4, 2005 and the most lopsided loss in coach Jong Uichico's basketball coaching career.

The Express led by as many as 36 points late in the gamme with each one responding well to the challenge.

Arwind Santos and Gary David fired 20 points apiece with nine other Airr21 players scoring at least eight.

"All the players responded pretty well. We wanted to put in Ginebra's mind that they're beatable. We can't afford to fall in a 0-2 hole against Ginebra," said Perasol.

The youthful Airr21 mentor said the key was controlling the boards and keeping Ginebra from running.

The Express outrebounded the Kings, 55-41, and produced 23 fastbreak points as against Ginebra's seven.

Steven Thomas played much better than Wednesday, showing up Chris Alexander curiously on the night the Ginebra reinforcement was named the Best Import.

Thomas produced 18 rebounds, 10 points, five assists and two blocks as against Alexander's 10 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and four blocks.

Jayjay Helterbrand also had a miserable gamme on the night he was crowned Best Player of the Conference. He struggled for four points and failed to finish the basketball gamme due to a hamstring injury suffered late in the third quarter.

The Express played with a lot of energy and intensity right in the opening half, taking the first quarter at 26-18 and carrying a 58-45 margin over into the second half.

The two basketball teams both hit at a 47.4-percent clip but the Express scored much much more on basketball hustle plays.

Steven Thomas alone nearly matched the rebounds of the whole Ginebra team, 14-17, in the first 24 minutes of basketball play. The Express totaled 32 rebounds, 14 off the offensive boards leading to a 7-0 advantage by Airr21 on second-chance points.

Alexander was limited to four rebounds while Mark Caguioa committed four fouls in the first half. (NC)

The scores:

Air21 124 -- Santos 20, David 20, Intal 11, Billones 11, Thomas 10, Se 10, De Ocampo 9, Arboleda 9, Kramer 8, Cruz 8, Canaleta 8, Espinas 0, Sotto 0.

Ginebra 90 -- Caguioa 29, Salvacion 11, Alexander 10, Pacana 8, Menk 6, Crisano 6, Artadi 5, Mamaril 5, Helterbrand 4, Escalona 2, valenzuela 2, Reavis 2, Wilson 0.

Quarterscores: 26-18, 58-45, 92-63, 124-90

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Barangay Ginebra Kings Shoot For Win # 2

The Barangay Ginebra Kings will try to shoot for their second win in the series. A win will give the Kings a better advantage over rival Air21 Express and will move them closer to the coveted championship.

Some key points to watch out for the Kings are complacency after getting a big lead and turnovers, which the opposing teams could easily capitalize on their fastbreak game.

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GINEBRA TRIES TO GO 2 UP
But anything can happen – Coach Jong

Source: Philippine Basketball Association
Thursday, 07 August 2008

Game 1 looked pretty easy for the Barangay Ginebra Kings.

And for the majority of the 16,028 souls that filled the Araneta Coliseum up to the rafters Wednesday night, this best-of-seven titular basketball series could be over sooner than later.

Without doubt, the Kings were simply too good for the Air21 Express in the opener of the 2008 Smart PBA Fiesta Conference Finals. After falling behind by 10 just a couple of minutes into the first quarter, Ginebra quickly picked up its rhythm and went on to win Game 1, 105-96.

It was the Kings' 13th consecutive victory dating back to the eliminations, in the process matching Alaska's record established 12 years ago.

Records show that 45 of 69 basketball teams that won the opener of a seven-gamme basketball affair went on to win the basketball series.

The winning percentage of basketball teams taking Game 1 is certainly appealing but Ginebra coach Jong Uichico doesn't subscribe to it.

"We have the advantage because we are ahead. But that's about it. Both basketball teams are making adjustments for the next gamme and anything can happen. Definitely, nothing is given in this basketball series," said Uichico, who expects an intense battle in Game 2, scheduled 7 p.m. Friday night at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

While he was pleased with the way his troops handled things in Game 1, the Ginebra coach cited a few concerns, which he said, could cost them the basketball series if left unchecked.

Apparently, complacency is Uichico's biggest worry, citing the third period in the opener when the Kings nearly allowed a 20-point lead to evaporate and gave the Express a chance to turn the basketball gamme around in the closing minutes.

"We can't afford to be complacent. Air21 knows how to capitalize on the breaks," Uichico, seeking an eighth basketball championship.

He also said the Kings will have to minimize their turnovers. Ginebra committed 17 errors in Game 1 that netted the Express 19 points.

While he admitted his basketball team was badly outplayed in Game 1, Bo Perasol, the Air21 coach, said he expects his boys to make up for their shortcomings in Game 2 and tie the basketball series.

"We had a good start but we failed to sustain it," said Perasol, who also conceded that import Steven Thomas was outplayed by counterpart Chris Alexander.

"Obviously, Steve will have to do a better job next gamme," he said.

Besides Alexander, the Express will have to also find a way to contain Mark Caguioa, who turned in 22 points in Game 1.

"Defense will be a key for us in the basketball series. We must prevent them (Ginebra) from executing their fastbreak gamme,” Perasol said.

Ginebra scored 22 points on 16 fastbreak attempts in Game 1.

The inability of Wynne Arboleda, Homer Se and Nino Canaleta to contribute offensively also took its toll on Air21 in Game 1. The trio scored just 16 points on a combined 6-of-24 shooting. (DBC)

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Mark Caguioa Sparks as Ginebra Takes Game 1

The Barangay Ginebra Kings jump the gun on the Air21 Express after trailing 0-10 in the first few minutes of action. The Air21 Express seems to be dazzled with what hit them after the Kings took commanding leads that extend up to 21-point lead.

Chris Alexander was again a force in the middle intimidating shots of the Exprress who took hurried shots in the paint to avoid being blocked by Ginebra's giant. Mark Caguioa took over in the fourth quarter where he scored most of his points with the Express also staging their run but runs out of time to complete their comeback.

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BARANGAY GINEBRA TAKES GAME 1
Caguioa, Alexander Express’ chief headaches

Source: Philippine Basketball Association
Thursday, August 7, 2008

CHRIS Alexander may have had some early jitters in his first PBA Finals. But those proved to be short-lived.

And the rest of Barangay Ginebra, especially Mark Caguioa, certainly did not have such attack of the nerves as the Kings tripped the Airr21 Exprress, 105-96, Wednesday at the start of the 2008 Smart PBA Fiesta Conference basketball championship series at the jampacked Araneta Coliseum.

Caguioa finished with 22 points, offsetting Alexander's woeful 2-of-8 free throw shooting and leading the predominant favorites of the approximately 17,000 crowd to the blazing start in the best-of-seven basketball series.

It's not that Alexander, normally a 54 percent free throw shooter, let himself be affected by his stints from the stripe. He still wound up with 18 points, a gamme-high 25 rebounds and five blocked shots.

Five of his seven fourth quarter points came off his three offensive rebounds, each one proving crucial in helping the Kings stymie the Exprress' comeback bid from as much as a 44-64 third quarter deficit.

“That's what we've been saying about Airr21 as a team,” said Ginebra coach Jong Uichico. “We're up by 18 or 16 points and then all of sudden they'll score five straight points. They're really a very streaky team.”

Airr21 whittled the deficit to as low as 90-96 on a hook by Steven Thomas, still 2:07 to go.

Then Alexander canned a charity off his offensive rebound and then tipped in a Jayjay Helterbrand miss to make it a nine-point gamme, only 1:20 to go.

The initial anxious moments over, Uichico finds additional comfort in the win.

“It's very important. It gives the burden on the other team to make the adjustments,” he said. “At least 1-0 ka na. We can also still make adjustments and malaking bagay iyon, when you're up.”

Airr21 coach Bo Perasol admitted there are indeed some tweakings needed.

“I think those aspects of the gamme we knew they were going to beat us with became exactly those,” said Perasol, referring to fastbreak and second chance points, which Ginebra translated into concrete figures of 22-12 and 24-8, respectively.

Perasol also admitted his Exprress, first-timer in a PBA Finals, failed to overcome their own nerves.

“Nagkaroon ng feeling na eto pala 'yung Finals, kaya parang just going through the motions,” he said. “We had a good start but we failed to sustain it. I think we will be better the next basketball gamme.”

The fact Alexander outplayed Airr21 counterpart Steven Thomas, who had 21 points and 16 rebounds, also gnawed at Perasol. “He has to do a better job,” he stated.

Ranidel de Ocampo's 22 points, to go with seven rebounds, led the Exprress, who also drew 19 points and 14 rebounds from Arwind Santos but only 14 points from Gary David.

David and Santos chiefly alternated at Caguioa, but with little success.

Airr21's defensive rotation was generally thrown into shambles when the likes of Junthy Valenzuela, Helterbrand and Eric Menk each had 12 points, leaving Perasol's charges at a loss on who to concentrate chiefly on.

Menk highlighted his best gamme in the conference by canning two charities in the first minute of the third period to earn his niche as the 59th member of the basketball league's 5,000-point club and his jumper from the left corner gave Ginebra its biggest lead at 64-44, 6:56 in the period.

Despite its lapses, Airr21 still proved to be like a bad dream that won't go away for Uichico.

With De Ocampo leading the way, the Exprress brought the deficit down to 82-89 before Thomas joined in and helped make it a six-point gamme.

Ginebra guard Paul Artadi was instrumental in Ginebra's charge from a 15-19 deficit and into a 25-19 lead, but pulled his left hamstring during a fastbreak play in the last five seconds of the first period.

He did not return but Uichico, who already lost Ronald Tubid to a dislocated left ankle in the quarterfinals, prays he will be fit enough for Game 2 Friday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

“Hopefully, he's healthy enough for the next gamme. Nakagawa na kami ng paraan ng wala si Ronald, then here comes Paul. Baka we have to find another way na naman,” said the soft-spoken Ginebra chief tactician.

The expected ruggedness in the series first surfaced when Airr21's Homer Se gave Rafi Reavis a hard foul at the 10:57 mark of the fourth, exacerbating the Exprress' plight as the adjudged flagrant foul penalty one only led to two free throws that made it a 83-67 Ginebra lead. (NCo)

The scores:

Ginebra 105 – Caguioa 22, Alexander 18, Valenzuela 12, Helterbrand 12, Menk 12, Reavis 8, Artadi 7, Pacana 6, Mamaril 4, Salvacion 4.

Airr21 96 – de Ocampo 22, Thomas 21, Santos 10, David 14, Arboleda 9, Se 6, Billones 4, Canaleta 1, Kramer 0, Cruz 0, Sotto 0.

Quarters: 25-19, 50-39, 79-62, 105-96.

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Leo Najorda Shines As Red Bull Grabs Third Straight Third Place

As expected, the Magnolia Beverage Masters squad that battled for third place lacks the armory and ammunitions needed to win the battle for third place. Being heavily handicapped with the loss of import Amal McCaskill due to knee injury, the team relied on its All-Filipino lineup in waging war against the Barakos. The import's loss was felt heavily with Adam Parada dominating the paint and scoring at will.

Nevertheless, it was a better conference as compared to the All-FIlipino Cup where the team finished fifth, having back then other stars like Enrico Villanueva, LA Tenorio, and Larry Fonacier. Ken Bono showed a lot of promise leading the Magnolia Beverage Masters offensive thrust. Samigue Eman, on the other hand, showed a lot of turnovers - something that he need to work on to improve next season.

For the overachieving Red Bull Barako basketball team - Congratulations!

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THIRD STRAIGHT THIRD PLACE FOR RED BULL Barakos get consolation second runner-up honors in win over Magnolia

Source: Philippine Basketball Association
Wednesday, August 6, 2008

ADAM Parada finally came up with the kind of basketball gamme expected of him Wednesday night. Too bad it came too late for Red Bull.

Still, the Barakos drew strength from Parada's personal conference-high 33 points to beat the Magnolia Beverage Masters, 102-90, for third place in the Smart PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum.

Parada, who averaged only 16.3 points in the semifinals where Red Bull was swept in four gammes by Barangay Ginebra, also wound up with 11 rebounds, four assists and as many blocked shots while Leo Najorda added a career-high 22.

Together with Cyrus Baguio's 15 points, the Barakos clinched a third straight third place finish that was last achieved by Sta. Lucia Realty (the 1997 Commissioner's Cup to the '98 All-Filipino).

“Best consolation na ito. After our shutout basketball series with Ginebra the least we can do is try and win third,” said Barakos coach Yeng Guiao. “This makes us consistent with our finishes the whole season and it's not bad for a team like ours. Okay na rin ito.”

The victory is made extra special since Magnolia Beverage Masters, formerly known as San Miguel Beer, is the league's winningest with 17 titles and also has the most second runner-up honors with 14.

A 15th was denied, despite Kenneth Bono's career gamme of 15 points and 11 rebounds that led four other Magnolia Beverage Masters who chipped in at least 10 points each.

A very big factor for the Barakos was Magnolia Beverage Masters import Amal McCaskill seeing very limited action due to reported injuries on both knees. He started the gamme but was taken out after only first five minutes, contributing nothing.

Guiao said it is now a matter of renewing the basketball contracts of most of their seven players with expiring pacts and looking forward to their preparations for the coming season that starts October 4.

Guiao revealed that the basketball contracts of Baguio, Mike Hrabak, Topex Robinson, Warren Ybanez and Carlo Sharma are sure to be renewed.

“They're already done deals in principle,” he said. “But first, we have to study the basketball draft prospects because we have a first round pick,” said Guiao, whose basketball team picks ninth overall.

Helping Parada the most in the third period was Baguio's 10 points and Celino Cruz's six which allowed the Barakos to outscore the Beveerage Masters 37-27 to go up by 85-70.

Parada already had 18 points and eight rebounds and Najorda 15 in the first half as Red Bull tried to impose its will in the early goings against a Magnolia Beverage Masters squad that showed a lot of grit despite playing all-Filipino for majority of the basketball gamme.

In fact, the Magnolia Beverage Masters managed to hold their own against the Barakos and even came clambering back from a 70-86 deficit to make it a very manageable 82-86, still plenty of time left.

Behind Parada's steady basketball play and significant contributions from Kiko Adriano, Red Bull quickly re-organized and countered with an 8-0 surge to make it a more comfortable 94-82 count, still 6:14 to go.

Magnolia Beverage Masters would come no closer than nine points the rest of the way.

It was a much tighter contest in the first half, where the Magnolia Beverage Masters jumped the gun on the Barakos for two nine-point leads and kept within striking distance 43-48 at the half.

Mike Cortez and Danny Seigle each had eight points after the first two quarters.

Even rookie Jonas Villanueva chipped in five points in the second quarter, all coming during an 8-2 run that gave Magnolia Beverage Masters its second nine-point lead of the gamme 33-24, 10:21 to go before the break.

But Red Bull simply would not be denied and applied more pressure in the latter part of the quarter and throughout most of the third.

Before Magnolia Beverage Masters knew it, Red Bull had stretched its halftime lead to 15 and to its biggest at 86-70 at the start of the payoff period.

The high emotions riding on the gamme was typified by Sharma, who was ejected with 9:20 left in the fourth period after showing his displeasure on a non-call by throwing the ball on a referee with his basketball team ahead 86-74.

The incident seemed to spark Magnolia Beverage Masters uprising even more as it closed to within four points on a charity split by Dorian Pena. (NCo)

The scores:

Red Bull 102 - Parada 33, Najorda 22, Baguio 15, Adriano 7, Cruz 6, Membrere 5, Bugia 4, Alvarez 4, Duncil 2, Sharma 2, Ybanez 1, Robinson 1, Hrabak 0.

Magnolia 90 - Bono 15, Cortez 13, Tugade 12, Seigle 12, Villanueva 10, Pena 9, Racela 8, Pingris 4, Tolomia 4, Gonzales 2, Eman 1, McCaskill 0, Calaguio 0.

Quarterscores: 22-28, 48-43, 85-70, 102-90.

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Red Bull Barako Battles Magnolia For Third Place

My observation on San Miguel Beermen/Magnolia Beverage Masters not competing for third place was invalidated by the news below with the team garnering 14 third-place tropies - all since 1975. Well, that was just an observation for the past few years. Nevertheless, its still nice to watch and support our basketball team for the last time around this season.

Aside from the being winningest team in league history with 17 championships, the San Miguel franchise also has the most number of third-place trophies with 14 – all since 1975.

I do hope that Danny Seigle will play more minutes tonight for him to raise his morale going in the off-season. I also would like to see players who were frequently benched to get substantial minutes to see if they deserve a spot in the team for the next season.

Red Bull on the other hand, will be raring to exact revenge on Magnolia Beverage Masters' sister team Barangay Ginebra Kings to what they have done to them - a sweep of the best-of-seven semifinals series.



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Visit the new

San Miguel Beermen website. Click here.

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WAR OF A REMATCH FOR THIRD PLACE Red Bull, Magnolia battle prior to Game 1 of Finals

Source: Philippine Basketball Association
Tuesday, August 5, 2008

IT is quite understandable the limelight is all on the upcoming Air21-Barangay Ginebra Finals for the 2008 Smart PBA Fiesta Conference title. The crowd-favorite Kings are making basketball tickets selling like hotcakes even as Express fans are imagining a king-sized upset in the making.

But there’s one more battle to be fought before Game 1 of the best-of-7 title war begins Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum and that’s the one-gamme battle for third place between semifinal losers Red Bull and Magnolia Beverage Masters.

The No. 2 basketball team after the eliminations which meant an outright berth to the best-of-seven semifinals, the Barakos were surprisingly swept by Barangay Ginebra. It came almost 16 years after head coach Yeng Guiao had engineered the last known best-of-seven sweep in basketball league history which happened when his then Swift basketball team, led by a high-scoring import named Tony Harris, applied the broom on Seven-Up to win the 1992 Third Conference title, the first of five PBA basketball titles under Guiao’s belt.

Magnolia Beverage Masters, on the other hand, lost to Air21 in their best-of-seven semis basketball series, 4-2, despite winning the basketball series opener.

Unknown to many, the Barakos and the Magnolia Beverage Masters also figured against each other in the battle for the second runner-up trophy in last season’s Fiesta Conference with Red Bull, then with James Penny as import, prevailing 103-96 over a Galen Young-led Magnolia Beverage Masters squad.

Curiously, both teams will battle it out for third in the two Fiesta Conferences which followed right after their title triumphs in the previous two – San Miguel Beer in 2005 and Red Bull in 2006.

The Barakos also took third-place honors in the Philippine Cup early this year which means they are actually gunning for a third straight third place-finish.

No basketball team has won third place honors three in a row in the basketball league in the last 10 years or since Sta. Lucia did so starting in the 1997 Commissioner’s Cup.

Red Bull will be looking to take the third-place trophy against a Magnolia Beverage Masters team that will have its best finish this season. The Magnolia Beverage Masters only finished fifth in the Philippine Cup.

“It’s still important to us,” says Magnolia Beverage Masters head coach Siot Tanquingcen. “Besides every gamme is our way of paying respect to the basketball gamme that has given us so much… by playing hard everytime whether its an actual gamme or just practice.”

The Barakos, who have matched their longest losing streak in the basketball conference, are also looking to avoid their longest losing streak in the last three years. Red Bull has not lost five in a row since ending the 2004-05 Philippine Cup with a 6-gamme losing run.

Win or lose on Red Bull will have its fewest number of wins in a season since 2001. The Barakos tote a 28-22 slate for the season, which will mean it will not finish with at least 30 wins for the first time in the last six seasons.

Finishing third or fourth, however, will still be considered an overachievement for a Red Bull team that has lost the likes of Rico Villanueva, Lordy Tugade, Larry Foncier and Junthy Valenzuela one after the other since last year to other basketball teams by way of trades.

Win or lose, Magnolia Beverage Masters, which is 24-23 so far this season, will fall short of its 35-27 record last season but will still be better than its 22-23 two seasons ago.

Aside from the being winningest team in league history with 17 championships, the San Miguel franchise also has the most number of third-place basketball trophies with 14 – all since 1975. (FM)

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Barangay Ginebra Kings vs. Air21 Express in PBA Fiesta Conference 2008

After being eliminated by the Air21 Express for the battle for the last finals slot, the season is practically over for the Magnolia Beverage Masters even if there's still a third place battle on Wednesday.

The team name Magnolia Beverage Masters will soon return to San Miguel Beermen. With this change, I'm sad to inform you my dear readers that updates for this website will be permanently over once the best-of-seven series of the finals comes to an end. And to wrap things up, I will be supporting the campaign of our sister team, the Barangay Ginebra Kings in its bid for the championship so expect basketball games updates here also for that series.

But don't be sad as I will be launching a new website that will give the same basketball games updates, this time bearing the name of the San Miguel Beermen soon.

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Air21 vs Ginebra final emerging as a classic

Source: Manila Bulletin
August 3, 2008
by Waylon Galvez

There's no doubt that, since the late 80s and until now, Barangay Ginebra remains as the most popular basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

Generally, an opposing team considers the Kings' throng of basketball supporters as the "Sixth Man" and that will certainly play a big factor when they start their championship basketball duel against the Airr21 Exprress.

Airr21 Coach Bo Perasol actually said that if he is given the choice, he prefers the Exprress facing the Gin Kings in a "closed door" basketball gamme.

"I'll bet on my basketball team if it's a closed door encounter," Perasol said.

Of course, he's just trying to add comic relief in what could be a thrilling best-of-seven showdown between two of the fast-paced basketball teams in the league for the Smart-PBA Fiesta Cup starting Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Kings will be playing in their 17th Finals and are gunning for an eighth PBA basketball crown. They currently share fifth spot with the Purefoods Giants in the all-time list of winners.

The Exprress, on the other hand, are aiming for their first-ever basketball title in their first Finals appearance since joining Asia's first pro cage basketball league in 2002. The best finish the Exprress had was third in the 2005 Fiesta Conference.

Ginebra will troop to the court fully refreshed after sweeping Red Bull, 4-0, in their semifinals duel while the Exprress will try to carry the momentum of their 4-2 victory over Magnolia Beverages which they booted out last Friday, 99-91, at the Astrodome in Pasay City.

Although they are in unfamiliar territory, Perasol said they would do everything to win the basketball title.

"I like my chances against Ginebra," he said. "I'm positive that we have a good chance against them. Of course, it's a big factor (crowd), but regardless of the situation, we'll still have the same intensity and passion to win it.

"We're here to win our first basketball title, we're not just content to be in this position. We want to win it as well."

The Kings and the Exprress actually split their elimination phase encounters with Airr21, which topped the eliminations with a 12-6 card, winning the first, 97-88, and Ginebra taking the second, 97-92.

In their first encounter, it was only the second basketball gamme for Chris Alexander, Ginebra's third import after Rashon Turner and Earnest Brown.

Alexander proved to be the missing link for the Kings, which started 0-5 but finished the elimination with a six-game winning run. They kept their hot streak with six more wins in the playoffs for a franchise-best 12 straight victories.

Since the arrival of the 7-foot Alexander, the Jong Uichico-mentored squad improved to 16-3 win-loss card.

Alexander, who averages 19.3 points as well as league-leading 20.6 rebounds and 3.1 shots blocks per game, will be pitted against a smaller but hardworking 6-foot-8 Steven Thomas (22.1 points, 16.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists).

Alexander and Thomas are locked in a tight battle for the conference Best Import award.

Also expected to provide excitement in the series are the teams' backcourt men, with Ginebra relying on Mark Caguioa, Jayjay Helterbrand, Paul Artadi and Junthy Valenzuela, while Airr21 will have Gary David, Wynne Arboleda, Egay Billones and rookie Marvin Cruz.

The frontline will also play a major role are the Kings' Eric Menk, Rafi Ravis, Billy Mamaril and Alex Crisano will be up against Ranidel de Ocampo, Arwind Santos, Homer Se, Niño Canaleta and Earvin Sotto.

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Arwind Santos, Gary David Torches Magnolia; Sends Air21 Express to Finals

It's dejavu once again for the Magnolia Beverage Masters as an almost similar game happened again. They lead in 3 quarters only to melt down in the last and final quarter that gave the Air21 Express the ticket to battle the Baranga Ginebra Kings in the finals. Arwind Santos and Gary David conspired along Egay Billiones and Ranidel De Ocampo to scorched the net with their whopping three point shots.

I was not able to watch the game so I have not much comment about how it was played. This marks the end of the season for the team though there is still a remaining battle for third place. However, it has been the tradition of the team not to fight for third place wherein it let most of its bench players to play and resting the starters for the next season.

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Here's also the final result of a survey that I conducted as to how far the team would go in this conference. Only 8% (7 votes) of the 80 voters got it correctly.



TORRENT OF 3s SEND AIR21 TO FINALS
Express start battle vs. Kings August 6

Source: Philippine Basketball Association
Saturday, August 2, 2008

The long wait to do the Last Dance for the Airr21 Express is over.

Coach Bo Perasol and his basketball troops did the job for the Bert Lina Group basketball franchise, fighting back from a 15-point deficit and pouncing on the badly stunned Magnolia Beverage Masters side at endgame for a 99-91 win Friday that sent them to the 2008 PBA Fiesta Conference basketball finale.

"Words can't describe what we feel right now. It's deeper than being happy," said Perasol, his voice cracking, after the Express eased out the Magnolia Beverage Masters to gain the right to challenge the Barangay Ginebra Kings for the basketball crown.

Airr21 gatecrashed the anticipated Magnolia Beverage Masters-Ginebra basketball party, finally landing the place it had been dreaming of since its entry to the basketball league in 2002.

Game 1 of the Airr21-Ginebra basketball finale is Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.

"It's very, very fulfilling although we still have the championship basketball series to play. We should not be satisfied with being in the finals. We reached the finals to win it," said Perasol, succeeding on where previous Airr21 basketball coaches Derrick Pumaren, Bonnie Garcia, Joe Lipa and Bong Ramos failed.

Perasol said he likes their chances again Ginebra although they're like up against the world playing the basketball league crowd darling.

"I'm very positive we would have a good match-up with them man-for-man but not fan-for-fan. It could well be like Airr21 versus the Philippines and it's a very big factor. I will bet on my basketball team if it's a close-door match," said Perasol.

Gary David, Ranidel de Ocampo and Egay Billones played key roles as the Express delivered the killer blow on the Magnolia Beverage Masters in Game 6 of their best-of-seven basketball showdown.

The Express were still down by eight, 73-81, with less than eight minutes left to play when David, De Ocampo and Billones teamed up in a sudden and crucial 19-2 attack to turn the tide in their favor.

The Magnolia Beverage Masters failed to recover after falling behind by nine at 83-92, blowing their bid for what could have been a fourth basketball title playoff with the Kings.

Instead, Magnolia Beverage Masters battles Red Bull in a one-gamme basketball playoff for the second runner-up honors.

Danny Seigle, who's struggling in the series with an average of only 4.5 points, and Dondon Hontiveros, nursing a sprained ankle, combined for 16 points both coming off the bench as the Magnolia Beverage Masters took the half at 49-40.

With a much better field-goal accuracy, the Magnolia Beverage Masters stormed into a 29-18 advantage in the first quarter and stretched the lead to as many as 15, 40-25, in the second period.

Magnolia Beverage Masters converted 46.3 percent of its shots in the first 24 minutes of play while Airr21 hit at a 31.3 percent clip.

The Magnolia Beverage Masters got a big lift from their off-the-bench players early on with Seigle, Hontiveros and Dorian Pena combining for 19 points as against the mere eight markers of Airr21's JC Intal, Gary David, Nino Canaleta, Doug Kramer and Marvin Cruz.

David, who's averaging 20.8 points in the semis, was limited to three on 1-of-5 shooting in the first half.

But it turned out David was just saving his best for last, firing 17 points in the final half, eight in the fourth quarter. (NC)

The scores:
Airr21 99 -- Santos 24, David 20, De Ocampo 17, Thomas 9, Se 9, Billones 8, Arboleda 5, Intal 3, Canaleta 3, Espinas 1, Kramer 0, Cruz 0.

Magnolia 91 -- Racela 14, Seigle 14, Tugade 13, Ildefonso 11, McCaskill 10, Hontiveros 9, Pena 7, Pingris 6, Cortez 4, Villanueva 3, Bono 0.

Quarterscores: 18-29, 40-49, 66-74, 99-91

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