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
Friday, August 8, 2008
Arwind Santos, Gary David Shine as Air21 Express Torched Barangay Ginebra Kings
Thursday, August 7, 2008
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)
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
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)
Continue reading...
Sunday, August 3, 2008
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.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
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.
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
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Magnolia Beverage Masters Eye Equalizer Against Hungry Air21 Express
With their backs pressed against the wall, the Magnolia Beverage Masters would try to equalize the basketball series with a win against the hungry Air21 Express basketball team.
With the way things are going around lately, it seems that the Magnolia Beverage Masters has no answer to the puzzle being showed by the overachieving Air21 Express. It's also very clear that there is a big question on the team's chemistry as shown by their turnover numbers on this series.
Will the Magnolia Beverage Masters force a knockout game Sunday or it will be say goodbye to its championship aspirations? That questions will be answered in tonight's battle.
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HUNGRY AIR21 GUNS FOR CLINCHER
Thomas aching to play in 1st Finals
Source: Philippine Basketball Association
Thursday, July 31, 2008
A wonderful episode looms bright in the horizon for the Air21 basketball franchise after 13 frustrating conferences, four coaching changes and several surprising trades.
So as he entertained sportswriters for the post-gamme interview, Bo Perasol allowed his troops to seize the moment and celebrate at the confines of their locker room.
The Express have just defeated the Magnolia Beverage Masters, 92-82, in Game 5 of their semifinal basketball duel for a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven basketball series.
The result of Wednesday's basketball encounter, without doubt, means so much for Perasol, the low-keyed and unassuming basketball coach of Air21, the players and management for whom a trip to the Finals has been nothing but just a dream for the past six years.
After a roller coaster ride early in the eliminations, the Express slowly picked up their rhythm and suddenly Perasol, whose patience and modesty had endeared him to his players, has a chance to accomplish what his predecessors – Bonnie Garcia, Derrick Pumaren, Bong Ramos and Joe Lipa – had failed to achieve.
Unless something terrible happens to his lead characters, Perasol and the overachieving Express may find themselves playing in the Finals and contending for the PBA's season-ending basketball championship.
History awaits the six-year-old basketball franchise Friday night as the Express aim for the clinching fourth victory over the Magnolia Beverage Masters in Game 6 of their semifinal basketball series set for 7 p.m. at the Cuneta Astrodome.
A win will send Air21 to a best-of-seven title basketball duel opposite Barangay Ginebra starting Wednesday at the Araneta Colliseum.
Perasol is confident his charges would get the job done but for good measure he cautioned them to stay focused on the task at hand.
"If we have to win, we have to do it in a fashion that is convincing," Perasol said.
Resiliency, hardwork and unselfishness have become the foundations of the Express' success this conference.
The Express were also this good three years back. They made the semifinals of this same conference with Sean Daniels as basketball import. Although they showed some promise, the team eventually fell short and settled for a third place finish.
Steven Thomas, who is now the leader of this year's class, has never played in a championship basketball gamme much like the Express, reason why he's moving heaven and earth to get there.
"I've never been in a championship basketball series so this is very important to me," Thomas said. "We just have to take it one gamme at a time."
"Our chances are good because our locals are playing phenomenal. They're winning without me. I'm just doing the talking … communicating."
Still, Thomas cautioned his teammates to treat Magnolia Beverage Masters with respect, short of saying they can't afford to be complacent.
Obviously, the Magnolia Beverage Masters are hard-pressed to win Game 6 to force a deciding gamme. And there's a possibility they might have to do it without basketball hotshot Dondon Hontiveros.
Hontiveros, who played just 11 minutes in Game 5 after injuring his left ankle in the second quarter, remains a doubtful starter.
Without Hontiveros, Magnolia Beverage Masters coach Siot Tanquingcen could only hope import Amal Mccaskill, Lordy Tugade, Danny Seigle, Danny Ildefonso and Olsen Racela would be able to withstand the booming cannons of Air21.
"I hope Dondon could play. I don't want our basketball achievement to be tainted," Perasol said. "It would be sweeter to win the basketball series if Dondon is there. But we'll take it any which way." (DBC)
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Ranidel De Ocampo, Gary David Wax Hot as Air21 Express Grabs 3-2 Lead
The Air21 Express made a show of what their offensive jauggernaut looks like when well-oiled and their willingness to win Game 5 as they inch a game closer to the coveted franchise first-ever finals appearance.
The Magnolia Beverage Masters, on the other hand, were clueless as to what hit them when the Express continuesly scores on all fronts leaving their defense clueless. Add to the injury is the fact that Mike Cortez was not able to orchestrate the team's play very well. They also logged numerous turnovers, which the Air21 Express willingly converts to turnover points.
Another big factor is the continuing emergence of Mr. Pure Energy Gary David, who seems to play a higher level of basketball game. He moved a lot and his defenders just cannot cope up with him. Yes, even known guard defender Dondon Hontiveros was not quick enough to react to his moves.
Another blow is that Dondon Hontiveros injured his ankle and may not be able to play on the succeeding battles. Let's just hope he recovers in time to help the team.
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JUST ONE MORE TO GO FOR AIR21 Express on verge of first-ever PBA Finals stint
Source: Philippine Basketball Association
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Just one more push, and Air21 could finally achieve a first-ever basketball Finals appearance in the Philippine Basketball Association.
The Express rebounded strong from a heartbreaker of a loss Sunday, outworking and outmaneuvering the Magnolia
Beverage Masters for a 92-82 victory and the pivotal 3-2 lead in their 2008 Smart PBA Fiesta Conference best-of-
seven semifinal basketball showdown at the Araneta Coliseum Wednesday.
Stalled the last time by a clutch shot from Amal McCaskill, the Express got back on track by putting up their most
aggressive basketball performance in the basketball series thus far, catching up the Magnolia Beverage Masters by surprise.
Taking the lead in the basketball series after five basketball gammes, the Express can close it out in Game 6 at the Cuneta Astrodome Friday or in a deciding Game 7 in the same venue Sunday.
"We really worked hard to build a big lead early. We can't win every time on a last-second basketball shot by Steven (Thomas) or in a last-second basketball defensive gem by Arwind (Santos)," said Air21 basketball coach Bo Perasol.
"But the basketball series is not yet over. We can't afford to relax if we're to finish the job and give the basketball franchise its first ever PBA Finals basketball stint," Perasol added.
"We need to continue playing Air21 basketball if we're to finish them off Friday. Magnolia Beverage Masters is a very good basketball team. It has talented basketball players," said Air21 import Steven Thomas.
Looking to arrange a fourth basketball title showdown with the Barangay Ginebra Kings, the Magnolia Beverage Masters can only salvage their bid with two straight wins against the Express who have gone 5-2 in their duels the entire basketball tourney.
"We can't count them out just yet. We have to take it one basketball gamme at a time," said Thomas, himself on the verge of a first basketball championship series in his basketball career. He's never experienced playing in the Finals back in the US.
Thomas logged minimal numbers compared to those churned out by McCaskill but the entire Air21 team put better
efforts than Magnolia Beverage Masters.
Too bad for the Magnolia Beverage Masters, they lost Dondon Hontiveros early in the gamme on a sprained ankle.
"Personally, I wish Dondon well. If ever we complete a win, I don't want our achievement tainted by the absence of a
key Magnolia Beverage Masters basketball player," said Perasol.
Gary David scored 20 points to pace the Express, who also drew double-digit basketball outputs from Ranidel de Ocampo, Homer Se, Arwind Santos and Thomas.
"If you notice, our local basketball players have been doing the job. They're winning without me. I'm just there communicating," said Thomas.
Perasol, however, stressed Thomas' mere presence makes his basketball teammates better.
"He's not scoring much but his presence makes his basketball teammates confident," said the soft-spoken Air21 mentor of his hardworking basketball import.
The Express seized the early initiative and took the half at 49-40, using aggressiveness to make up for a mediocre
basketball shooting.
Santos and De Ocampo fired 10 points apiece in the first half, pacing the Express who led by as many as 14 points at
36-22 despite a mere 38.8 percent shooting against the Magnolia Beverage Masters' 50 percent clip.
The Express cashed in on hustle basketball plays, outscoring the Magnolia Beverage Masters by 17, 26-9, on points off turnovers. (NC)
The scores:
Air21 92 -- David 20, De Ocampo 18, Se 15, Thomas 12, Santos 12, Arboleda 6, Cruz 5, Espinas 2, Sotto 2, Kramer 0, Canaleta 0, Billones 0.
Magnolia 82 -- McCaskill 23, Tugade 15, Pena 13, Hontiveros 7, Gonzales 6, Cortez 6, Racela 6, Ildefonso 3, Calaguio 2, Pingris 1, Seigle 0.
Quarterscores: 31-20, 49-40, 74-61, 92-82.
Danny Ildefonso, Lordy Tugade to Lead Magnolia Veterans in Pivotal Game 5
It's back to square one for the Magnolia Beverage Masters - Air21 Express basketball series. Magnolia's veterans will be lead again by Danny Ildefonso and Lordy Tugade who contributed heavily in Game 4's victory as well as their import Amal McCaskill.
The winner of Game 5 will be determined by the team who has more desire to win and who can play more as a cohesive team both in defense and offense. As I see in this series, the Magnolia Beverage Masters were having a difficulty defending the Air21 Express as they are very unpredictable, meaning every player on their roster who played in the hardcourt has the capability to score at anytime both outside and inside. That makes them very difficult to stop.
Danny Seigle is still a non-factor though he scored a dunk on the first play of the ballgame. He is not as aggressive as he used to be, which very well shows he is not yet 100%.
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MAGNOLIA, AIR21 TAKE THE FLOOR IN PIVOTAL GAME 5
Coaches point to intensity and execution as key
Source: Philippine Basketball Association
Tuesday, 29 July 2008
Certainly, Jong Uichico didn't want to play killjoy. In fact, he gammely responded to every inquiry by sportswriters following the Kings' four-gamme basketball sweep of the Red Bull Barakos in their basketball semifinal series last Sunday.
The last question though reminded him of bad memories from a distant past, so the Barangay Ginebra basketball coach politely declined to answer it.
"The last time I was asked to pick which basketball team I preferred to play I got burned. The basketball team I picked eventually eliminated us. Sorry, but I won't make any picks this time. I'm not good at basketball match-ups," offered Uichico, who also refused to identify the basketball tournament and the year it took place.
But he was kind enough to provide a hint. "It happened in the semifinals," he said, flashing a mischievous grin.
At any rate though, guessing which basketball team gets a crack at challenging Barangay Ginebra for the 2008 Smart PBA Fiesta Conference basketball championship is as tough as predicting that the Kings – proud owner of a 12-gamme winning basketball streak – would finish the basketball playoffs unscathed.
And while the Ginebra – Red Bull basketball showdown was done in four basketball gammes – leaving many league followers in disbelief – the Magnolia Beverage Masters – Air21 semifinal basketball series is looming to be a potential suspense-thriller that might require an Act 7 for an ending.
The script required alterations after the Magnolia Beverage Masters – thanks to the clutch hits by Lordy Tugade and import Amal McCaskill down the stretch – turned back the Express in Gamme 4 for a 104-102 decision to even the best-of-seven basketball series at two gammes apiece.
"Dikit lagi ang laban naming since the elimination round and I don't see it getting easier the rest of the basketball series,” said Magnolia Beverage Masters coach Siot Tanquingcen moments after the crucial win.
Based on their previous battles, Tanquingcen believes the eventual challenger of the Kings for the basketball championship will be determined by passion and determination.
"The way I look at it, this basketball series now boils down to which team wants it more," said Tanquingcen, seeking a third basketball Finals appearance and second basketball championship in an import-laced basketball conference.
The intensity of the series nearly blew out of proportion in Game 4 when Air21 import Steven Thomas and Magnolia Beverage Masters center Dorian Pena traded taunts on their way to the dugout at halftime. Both were fined by PBA commissioner Sonny Barrios and warned of severe penalty if they lost their heads in the succeeding basketball gammes.
As much as both basketball teams are anticipating a deciding Game 7, it also remains a possibility that the result of Wednesday's Game 5 could be the turning point of the basketball series so the scheduled 7 o'clock duel Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum promises to be a lot more physical.
"I'm expecting the same intensity from both basketball teams. We just have to keep our focus. Whoever dictates the tempo of the basketball gamme would win it. Which means we can't play their (Express’) style of basketball," Tanquingcen said.
Bo Perasol, the low-keyed basketball coach of Air21 who is aiming to land the basketball team to its first-ever trip to the basketball Finals since joining the basketball league in 2002, is a bit more specific.
Apparently learning his lessons from Sunday's unexpected downfall, Perasol said sound decision-making and accuracy in basketball play execution would be very crucial in Game 5.
"If our last few basketball gammes would be a reflection of how the basketball series would be won, then we have to be very precise in our execution – defensively and offensively," Perasol said.
"It's down to a best-of-three basketball series so we can't afford to make costly mistakes," he added. (DBC)
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Danny Ildefonso, Lordy Tugade Lead Magnolia's Local Crew, Amal McCaskill Sinks Winning Basket
Magnolia Beverage Masters' veterans proved once again that they can deliver in a crucial situation like this one. Danny Ildefonso provided the needed offensive firepower all throughout the ballgame with his steady post-up moves. Lordy Tugade, on the other hand, showed his clutch shooting in the endgame with the help of Olsen Racela's well-orchestrated play.
The game-winning shot of the evening belonged to Amal McCaskill, who had been playing sub-par in almost three quarters. He started to showed aggresiveness in the fourth period with the ballgame on the line. After getting an excellent pass from point guard Olsen Racela, Amal immediately posted up Steven Thomas and let fly a turn-around shot that went inside the net.
This marked the first time that the Magnolia Beverage Masters won against the Air21 Express when Steven Thomas is around this conference. Enjoy the exciting crucial moments of the basketball game from this recorded video that I got from Youtube courtesy of captainlionheart16.
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San Miguel Beermen website. Click here.
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MAGNOLIA PULLS EVEN ON McCASKILL’S HEROICS
Beverage Masters’ import finally win one over Thomas
Source: Philippine Basketball Association
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Amal McCaskill finally pulled one over Steven Thomas as Magnolia drew even with Air21 after four gammes of their 2008 Smart PBA Fiesta Conference best-of-seven semifinal showdown at the Araneta Coliseum Sunday.
McCaskill pumped in a turnaround jumper off Thomas himself in the closing seconds as the Magnolia Beverage Masters eked out a 104-102 win that reduced their battle to a best-of-three affair.
Magnolia Beverage Masters beat Air21 for the first time in the tourney with Thomas in harness. For McCaskill, it was his first over Thomas in four matches.
Thomas had his big baskets at endgame but McCaskill had the final laugh after making the gamme-winning basket with time down to 1.4 seconds.
With no more timeout left, the Express could no longer map out a decent play, eventually yielding the gamme with Arwind Santos making an errant throw-in.
"It was anybody's ballgame and it so happened that we made the last big shot," said Magnolia Beverage Masters coach Siot Tanquingcen.
"Dikit lagi ang laban namin from the elimination round and I don't see it getting easier the rest of this series," Tanquingcen added. "Malaking bagay sa morale namin na nakatabla kami."
Gary David sizzled with 32 points but fouled out on two successive offensive infractions entering the homestretch.
Santos and Thomas picked up the cudgels on the ouster of David but the Magnolia Beverage Masters stood their ground, getting clutch shots from Lordy Tugade and McCaskill.
Thomas scored all of Air21's last five points, including a short stab off McCaskill, tying the count at 102 with 14.4 seconds to go.
McCaskill, however, saved the day and the Magnolia Beverage Masters avoided falling into a 1-3 hole in the series.
The two teams figured in another tight contest marred by a near brawl between the two teams while heading to the lockers at the halftime break.
The Magnolia Beverage Masters came back strong from the halftime huddle, engaging the Express in seven deadlocks and three lead changes after trailing by eight at the turn.
David and Nino Canaleta failed to finish the gamme both on account of fouls while Wynne Arboleda sat out the last three minutes of the contest due to leg cramps.
Though worse in overall field-goal shooting, the Express took the half at 57-49 as they hit five triples to none for the Magnolia Beverage Masters.
Gary David went 2-of-2 from beyond the arc in the first half and himself fueled the Express' decisive charge from a 26-all standoff at the start of the second period.
Air21 outscored Magnolia Beverage Masters, 12-8, on second-chance points and, 9-4, on points off turnovers in the first 24 minutes of play. (NC)
The scores:
Magnolia 104 -- McCaskill 19, Tugade 19, Ildefonso 19, Pingris 10, Pena 10, Racela 7, Seigle 7, Hontiveros 6, Calaguio 3, Villanueva 2, Cortez 2.
Air21 102 -- David 32, Thomas 20, Santos 15, Arboleda 10, De Ocampo 8, Se 6, Kramer 4, Canaleta 3, Cruz 2, Billones 2, Intal 0, Sotto 0.
Quarterscores: 26-26, 49-57, 78-80, 104-102.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Barangay Ginebra Guns For Finals Seat, Magnolia Beverage Masters Try to Arrest Skid
The Magnolia Beverage Masters will try to arrest a 2-game skid against the rampaging Air21 Express to level the series at 2-2. Barangay Ginebra on the other hand, will try to close out the Red Bull Barakos to grab a finals seat.
As I am frequently mentioning here, the only way for the Magnolia Beverage Masters to win is to play excellent stingy defense in 48 minutes of action plus some consistency in offense in the fourth quarter where the Express surprisingly took charge in the last two outings.
Will Seigle play tonight? That's another doubltful question. But in his abscense, Lordy Tugade and the other veterans should take charge if they want to win this one while Danny Seigle is recuperating from injuries. Levelling the series at 2-2 will make it more exciting to watch with the series probably closing at six games or a knockout Game 7.
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Ginebra guns for finals seat
Source: Manila Bulletin Online
By Waylon Galvez | July 27, 2008
One win separates Barangay Ginebra from earning the first finals slot in the Smart-PBA Fiesta Cup and the Kings go for it today when they clash with Red Bull at 4:30 p.m. at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Kings lead the Bulls, 3-0, in the best-of-seven semifinals and a win today will complete a sweep for the crowd favorites while setting them up for another best-of-seven playoffs with the winner of the other semifinals between Air21 and Magnolia Beverage Masters.
Air21, which leads 2-1, tries to move a step closer to a first-ever basketball championship appearance when the Express tackle the Magnolia Beverage Masters at 6:50 p.m.
Air21 mentor Bo Perasol has expressed optimism as he noted that his basketball players have matured in this basketball series and complemented well with import Steven Thomas.
"As a team, we really matured, we gained basketball experience in these type of basketball playoff gammes," Perasol said. "But we know that trying to take a 3-1 lead will be tough, but we’re ready against Magnolia Beverage Masters."
Gary David, who averaged 18.3 points in the basketball series, No.1 among the Air21 locals, will try to lead his basketball team anew to victory, like what he did in their gammes 2 and 3 wins.
Air21 will also rely on Thomas, local mainstays Arwind Santos, Homer Se, Ranidel de Ocampo, Nini Cañaleta and Wynne Aboleda.
As for Magnolia Beverage Masters, coach Siot Tangquingcen will lean on import Amal McCaskill, Dondon Hontiveros, Lordy Tugade, Danny Ildefonso, Mike Cortez, Olsen Racela and Marc Pingris.
Danny Seigle, who sat out the first two gammes and appeared only in the final seconds of gamme 3, is again a doubtful starter due to a strained (leg) muscle.
Focus, however, are on the mighty Kings, whose latest win was their 11th straight this conference, the best since Red Bull’s 10-gamme winning streak during the 2003 Reinforced Conference.
Ginebra, which entered the semifinals via a quarterfinal sweep of Philippine Cup champion Sta. Lucia Realty, won gamme 1, 108-82; gamme 2, 111-101; and gamme 3, 94-91.
A win by the Kings will propel the SMC-owned franchise to its 17th finals basketball appearance in the PBA.
In the rich history of the pro league, no basketball team was able to come back from a 0-3 hole, but according to Ginebra coach Jong Uichico, if there’s one basketball team that is capable of doing that, "it’s Red Bull."
"We need to play with the same intensity if we intend to close this out," Uichico said. "We don’t want to make this difficult for ourselves, we want to get this over as soon as possible."
Red Bull mentor Yeng Guiao, one of the strong contenders for the coaching post of the national basketball team the PBA will name after the conference, isn’t giving up.
"We had a really good chance of winning gamme Three, only to slide back and had mental mistakes," Guiao said. "We’re definitely not giving up. Our goal is to win this one, once we do that, we’ll start from there.
"We had a good practice (Saturday morning), and our thinking is that if they can win three straight basketball gammes, we can also win three straight basketball gammes," he added.
For the Bulls to win, they have to limit the scoring production of the Kings’ basketball guards, particularly Jayjay Helterbrand and Mark Caguioa, who are averaging 21 and 19.6 points, respectively, in the basketball series.
Also, Red Bull’s 7-foot Mexican import Adam Parada have to match the intensity of fellow 7-footer Chris Alexander, who averaged 16.3 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks in three basketball gammes.
Parada had his best gamme in the previous outing with 19 points, 17 boards and three blocked shots after struggling in the first two due to a hamstring injury.
"We’re not happy the way he’s playing in this basketball series, but we’re not giving up on him," Guiao added.
Aside from Parada, the Bulls will also lean on the locals like Cyrus Baguio, Mick Pennisi, Mike Hrabak, Rich Alvarez, Topex Robinson, Leo Najorda and Celino Cruz, ejected in the third quarter of gamme Three despite a cut on his tongue.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Arwind Santos, Gary David Conspire in Endgame as Air21 Express Move Ahead 2-1
It's another heartbreaking loss for the Magnolia Beverage Masters after taking control for the most part of the duel but failied to finish off the Air21 Express in the last quarter.
It was a low-scoring ballgame, which should favor the team but it seems like their guards were a little down during the crucial stretch of the ballgame. The breaks of the basketball game may also favored the Express or wasn't it because of their hussle? Dynamite Danny Seigle's offensive presence was greatly felt in the fourth quarter when the team failed to counter the Express offensive thrust.
Do we still stand a chance against the Express? Well, the series is won in four games. I do hope that the Magnolia Beverage Masters wakes up in time to realize its mistakes in the past two battles and show its defensive jaggernaut in derailing the overachieving Air21 Express.
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AIR21 IN COME-FROM-BEHIND GAME 3 WIN OVER MAGNOLIA David, Santos conspire in endgame as Express move ahead 2-1
Source: Philippine Basketball Association
Saturday, 25 July 2008
ANTIPOLO CITY. – Last season’s multi-awarded Gary David provided the spark to lead the comeback while wingman Arwind Santos put the finishing touches as Air21 downed the Magnolia Beverage Masters, 82-78, in Gamme Three of the Smart-PBA Fiesta Cup semifinals Friday night at the Ynares Sports Center here.
Last season’s Most Improved Player and member of the Mythical Second and All-Defensive Teams, David scored 10 of his ballgame-high 17 points in a 10-2 run that featured back-to-back three-pointers, a jumper and two free throws that turned a 67-74 deficit to a 77-76 advantage with 2:03 remaining in the basketball gamme.
Then Santos, last season’s Rookie of the Year runner-up and member also of the All-Defensive Team, took over.
After Magnolia Beverage Masters import Amal McCaskill’s jumper hit the backboard that resulted in a 24-second shot clock violation, Santos nailed a big triple that gave them an 80-76 advantage with 1:19 left.
McCaskill made it a two-point basketball gamme with a pair of free throws off a foul by Air21 import Steven Thomas, 78-80.
However, following a missed jumper by Santos, Ranidel de Ocampo grabbed the loose ball to give his possession, paving the way for Santos being fouled by Danny Ildefonso which resulted in two free throws with 9.7 seconds remaining which pegged the final score.
“Now naiintindihan ko na what championship experience is all about,” Air21 mentor Bo Perasol said. “We don’t have that championship experience, but these kinds of playoff basketball gammes give us the experience in these situations.”
“We (coaching staff) already laid down the basketball gamme plan, alam na nila (players) kung ano ang gagawin. Importante na lang ‘yung kagustuhan and focus to win,” he added.
The Express now lead the Beverage Masters, 2-1, in semifinal series, a first time for the franchise to lead in a best-of-seven.
It was actually Air21’s fourth win in five basketball gammes this conference against the Magnolia Beverage Masters after sweeping the head-to-head meeting during the elimination round. They are also 4-0 with Steven Thomas in the line-up.
The Express also won Gamme Two, 103-102, with Thomas returning from the US after missing Gamme 1.
Forward Homer Se added 12, while Santos had 11 points and eight rebounds and playmaker Wynne Arboleda chipped in 11, seven boards and five assists.
Thomas, who missed the series opener last Sunday won by the Magnolia Beverage Masters (113-87), had nine points on 4-of-12 shooting with 11 rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots in 43 minutes.
“(Thomas’) presence gave his teammates the confidence. His intensity on both ends is really important,” Perasol.
Air21 tries to take a 3-1 lead in Gamme Four of the basketball showdown Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.
“Next basketball gamme on Sunday is very important because a win will push us one victory away from moving to the Finals for the first time. I know they’ll come out strong, but we’ll be prepared,” Perasol said.
McCaskill led the Magnolia Beverage Masters with 16 points and 10 boards. (WG)
The scores:
Air21 82 – David 17, Se 12, Santos 11, Arboleda 11, Thomas 9, Canaleta 8, de Ocampo 7, Intal 5, Sotto 2, Cruz 0, Espinas 0, Billones 0.
Magnolia 78 – McCaskill 16, Tugade 15, Pena 12, Racela 9, Ildefonso 8, Pingris 7, Cortez 6, Hontiveros 5, Gonzales 0, Seigle 0.
Quarterscores: 17-24, 41-41, 57-62, 82-78.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Barangay Ginebra Guns for 3-0, Magnolia Beverage Masters to Get 2-1 Lead
It's back to square one for the battle between Magnolia Beverage Masters and the Air21 Express. This series is quite more exciting as compared to the series between Barangay Ginebra and Red Bull Barako with the Gin Kings dominating the series at this stage so far taking a 2-0 lead.
It will be another close ballgame but I expect the Magnolia Beverage Masters to make the necessary defensive adjustment to limit the Express offensive game. No predictions for today. Let's just enjoy the game and let the teams play.
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STREAKING GINEBRA GUNS FOR 3-0 BUBBLE
Air21, Magnolia to break 1-1 standoff
Source: Philippine Basketball Association
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Some seasoned observers have proclaimed that the semifinal basketball series between Barangay Ginebra and Red Bull is over.
And nobody, it seems, would want to disagree. The signs, after all, are convincing.
The Kings are playing consistent and solid basketball with Chris Alexander, Mark Caguioa and Jayjay Helterbrand completely dominating their Red Bull counterpart.
They are also noticeably more motivated than the Barakos, who appear to have lost their basketball chemistry and desire to excel after taking a two-week break – their reward for gaining outright basketball passage into the Final Four.
Yet, for all their splendid efforts in Gammes 1 and 2, Ginebra coach Jong Uichico isn't ready to address Red Bull in the past tense, no matter how basketball sportswriters tried to press him to deliver a bold statement that would sound a tad short of counting out the Barakos, who now trail the Kings, 0-2.
"We had our battles. More or less I know how (coach) Yeng (Guiao) thinks. He is an excellent basketball motivator. Red Bull is a dangerous basketball team specially when their backs are against the wall," offered Uichico moments after their 111-104 basketball victory Wednesday – Ginebra's second win in as many basketball gammes in the best-of-seven semifinal basketball series of the 2008 Smart PBA Fiesta Conference.
No one will dare argue that the Kings, champions of this basketball tournament four years ago, are playing their best basketball of the conference – and possibly of the season.
After a 0-5 start, the Kings closed out the eliminations by racking up six wins in a row to stave off early exit and avoid the wildcard phase. As of latest count, Ginebra is now the proud owners of a 10-gamme winning streak – the longest by any basketball team this conference.
Still, Uichico maintained anything can happen and cautioned his troops to be ready for any eventuality.
To justify his apprehension, Uichico reminded the league's beat reporters that Ginebra had also been in the same situation as Red Bull is now.
Recollecting his memories, the soft-spoken mentor said Ginebra had also fallen in a 0-2 hole against Magnolia Beverage Masters, then carrying the colors of San Miguel Beer, during the 2006-07 Philippine Cup Finals. But the Kings, as they always, didn't quit. They rallied and managed to win the next four basketball gammes to claim the basketball championship.
"There is a possibility it could happen. But I hope it would not," he said.
Nevertheless, the unassuming Uichico said Friday night's Gamme 3 set at 7:20 p.m. at the Ynares Center in Antipolo could be Red Bull's last shot to get back in the basketball series.
No team in the 33-year history of the basketball league has come back from a 0-3 deficit to win a best-of-seven basketball series.
"Their last shot is on Friday. We know they'll be giving their all so we also have to play 100 percent. We also need to win Gamme 3 just as much to get closer to the Finals," said Uichico.
The Kings will be marching into Gamme 3 without substitute center Alex Crisano, who has been suspended for one basketball gamme and fined P20,000 by PBA commissioner Sonny Barrios for his flagrant foul penalty 2 stemming from a play in the third quarter that saw him slamming the ball on the face of Red Bull guard Jojo Duncil.
Barrios also fined Duncil P5,000 but this was due to the flagrant foul penalty 1 assessed him for tripping Paul Artadi while the Ginebra guard was on his way to the basket.
The possibility of Red Bull winning Gamme 3 isn't far-fetched. But the Barakos will have to play consistently as a unit and try to match Ginebra's intensity and energy – something they sorely lacked in Gammes 1 and 2.
After a disappointing seven-point performance in Gamme 1, Cyrus Baguio sparkled with 34 points on Wednesday and Adam Parada showed some signs of life as well, pouring 16 points and cornering 10 rebounds – a remarkable improvement from his six-point, eight-rebound output in the opener last Sunday.
Still, their efforts did little to inspire the Barakos, who seemed to have lost fire and enthusiasm that propelled them to an outright spot in the semifinals.
The other semifinal series between Air21 and Magnolia Beverage Masters is showing strong indication of developing into one hell of a suspense theater.
With the series now tied at one basketball gamme apiece, the odds are even going into Gamme 3, although the Express enjoy a psychological advantage in their scheduled 4:50 p.m. date after escaping with a 103-102 cliffhanger in Gamme 2.
With import Steven Thomas back in the lineup, the Express appeared emotionally charged in Gamme 2 and their confidence helped them survived a belated rally by the Magnolia Beverage Masters in the closing seconds to tie the series.
"As I have been saying all along it's not how many points he makes. It's his defense and his presence that brings great value to us. Thomas’ mere presence provides the us with inspiration and confidence," said Air21 coach Bo Perasol of his import, who missed Gamme 1. (DBC)
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Gary David Strikes as Air21 Express Gets Back in Groove
People could have burned me in the stakes with my bold prediction yesterday that the Magnolia Beverage Masters will take a 2-0 lead. Well, it seems that the team is also inflicted with this problem called "complacency" as it lost a close ballgame against the Air21 Express.
Complacency can be traced back to the team's slow start on defense according to some forum observants. The half-time score of 58-59 cannot deny that fact. And obviously we let the Air21 take control as we are playing their offense-oriented basketball brand of play. And this ballgame is no exception with the score reflecting the result - we lose the ballgame.
How to get back on the winning track? It's really very simple. The players should be reminded how we are able to win against the Coca-Cola Tigers. That is to play excellent stingy defense in 48 minutes of action. Danny Seigle is back from sick bay and already showed promise by producing 11 points in just 15 minutes of action. With that, I firmly believe that we can immediately bounce back from this defeat.
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Air21 back in groove as Thomas returns
Source: Philippine Basketball Association
July 23, 2008
True to his words, Steven Thomas made up for his absence the last time out.
Not that he made hulking numbers but Thomas' mere presence provided Air21 much boost as the Express got back at the Maggnolia Beverage Masters, 103-102, in Game Two of their 2008 Smart PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum Wednesday night.
"It's not the numbers that Thomas puts in that make the difference. It's just his presence," said coach Bo Perasol as his troops avenged their 87-113 blowout by the Maggnolia Beverage Masters Sunday on the absence of Thomas.
"The numbers can be compensated by our locals but not the leadership and confidence Thomas' presence instantly brings in to the basketball team," Perasol added.
Thomas missed the series opener on his late return from a brief US journey to attend tryouts for the Korean basketball league.
On his return, no one was more pumped up than Gary David who fired 26 points, including all of the Express' last six markers. The one-time PBL MVP winner tossed in only nine points Sunday.
Ranidel de Ocampo, Wynne Arboleda and Homer Se, had significant contributions, combining for 51 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists.
Arwind Santos, a candidate in the basketball MVP race, struggled for only seven points but put up a big defensive gem in the closing seconds, foiling Mike Cortez's attempt to steal the basketball game.
The Maggnolia Beverage Masters gain an opportunity to salvage the basketball game on back-to-back errors by the Express, the last one by Wynne Arboleda setting up Cortez for one final attempt to win the basketball game.
Santos, however, stood his ground, challenging Cortez's layup.
The former FEU standout himself was after the looseball when the final buzzer sounded, ending Maggnolia Beverage Masters' bid for a 2-0 lead in the basketball series.
"It's now down to a best-of-five affair and we know we can win against Maggnolia Beverage Masters," said Perasol.
The Maggnolia Beverage Masters and the Express fight for the 2-1 lead in Game Three at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
Amal McCaskill was still a steady presence even with the return of Thomas, coming through with 25 points, 13 rebounds and six assists.
Cortez, Danny Ildefonso and Dondon Hontiveros had their contributions but the Maggnolia Beverage Masters yielded crucial grounds on the Express in the fourth quarter.
Danny Seigle returned from sickbay, chipping in 11 points and two rebounds in 15 minutes of basketball action. (NC
The Scores:
Air21 103 - David 26, De Ocampo 22, Arboleda 19, Thomas 15, Se 10, Santos 7, Cruz 2, Sotto 2, Kramer 0, Intal 0, Canaleta 0.
Maggnolia 102 - McCaskill 25, Cortez 19, Ildefonso 14, Hontiveros 13, Seigle 11, Pingris 8, Tugade 8, Racela 4, Pena 0.
Quarterscores: 29-28, 58-59, 81-74, 103-102
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Barangay Ginebra and Magnolia Beverage Masters Brace For Tougher Game 2
I totally agree that these are tougher and more exciting battle between the four teams. However, it is unfortunate that I will not be able to witness as I am out for the whole night. Too bad!
Whatever happens, we know both squads will rely on their playoffs experience to put away whatever surprises their foes have. My prediction: it will be 2-0 for Magnolia Beverage Masters. Burn me at the stakes if I miss. Just joking.
How about you? What's your take? Feel free to leave your comments.
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GINEBRA, MAGNOLIA BRACE FOR TOUGHER GAME 2
Barakos, Express raring to bounce back and equalize
Source: Philippine Basketball Association
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Coaches Jong Uichico of Barangay Ginebra and Siot Tanquingcen of Magnolia Beverage Masters are used to the basketball playoff atmosphere.
So it’s not surprising at all that they are bracing themselves for a tough grind Wednesday night, totally different from the one their troops faced in the opener of their respective semifinal basketball series.
With close to 11,000 spectators on hand at the Cuneta Astrodome, the Barangay Ginebra Kings dominated and silenced the Red Bull Barakos, 108-82, and Magnolia Beverage Masters pounced on undermanned Air21, 113-87, Sunday to gain a headstart in the 2008 Smart PBA Fiesta Conference best-of-seven basketabll series.
The Kings and the Magnolia Beverage Masters were clearly in their best in Gamme 1, looking every inch certified basketabll title contenders. But neither Uichico nor Tanquingcen was ready to proclaim that this basketabll series – which will send the winners into a basketabll championship showdown – could end sooner than expected.
"It's always a relief to win the first ballgame. But this doesn't mean anything," offered Uichico, noting it would be a big mistake to count the Barakos out this early into the basketabll series.
Not even the Kings' nine-game winning streak, it seems, is enough to convince the two-time Coach of the Year that this series would be a simple walk in the park for his troops.
"We're not too concerned about the streak. Our goal has always been play to win," Uichico said.
The fact that Red Bull managed to secure a seat in the Final Four without the so-called "basketabll superstars" is a testament to the resiliency of the Barakos – something that Uichico said should not be overlooked by the Kings.
"We know what Red Bull is capable of doing. We just have to match their intensity and keep our basketabll defensive mentality," said Uichico, who expects their 4:50 p.m. encounter at the Araneta Coliseum to be a little bit more physical and aggressive.
Modesty aside, even Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao believes his charges should have no trouble bouncing back from Sunday's lopsided loss. But he also said they have to find a way to slow down Ginebra import Chris Alexander, who completely dominated Adam Parada in Gamme 1.
"He's big and quicker than Adam. He's a very big problem for us if we can't find a way to slow him down,” Guiao said.
Alexander posted 16 points and 17 rebounds in Gamme 1 while holding Parada to just 6 points on 2-of-8 shooting.
Tanquingcen is also convinced that their 7:20 p.m. date with the Air21 Express won't be easy.
"Definitely, it will be a different story in Gamme 2," said Tanquincen.
The Magnolia Beverage Masters had an easier time controlling Gamme 1 mainly because Air21 import Steven Thomas wasn't around.
"He's back. So we're back in business," said Bo Perasol, the low-keyed Express basketabll coach who was pleased to see his reliable reinforcement back in the basketabll lineup.
Thomas, who made himself available for Korean Basketball League draft, arrived early Monday morning from the U.S. and headed straight to the Xavier basketabll gym in San Juan to join the team in basketabll practice.
Without Thomas in Gamme 1, the Express gave up 25 markers on second chance points, 16 more than their average in the eliminations.
"We really had a tough time without him. But it will be an entirely different story on Wednesday," Perasol said. (DBC)
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Amal McCaskill Dominates in the Paint As Magnolia Beverage Masters Subdues Air21 Express
But make no mistake about it, the Air21 Express managed to lead in the middle of the second quarter before the Magnolia Beverage Masters tighten up on defense on the third quarter, which saw their lead baloon up to 18 points.
I must say the team played lousy defense in the first half by letting the Air21 Express dictate the tempo of the basketball gamme. Playing Air21's offense-oriented tempo would put the team in danger. Complacency also took stage but coach Siot Tanquincen was quick enough to address it. Gamme 2 will be a different story with Steven Thomas back in the Express lineup.
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MAGNOLIA BEVERAGE MASTERS DRAW FIRST BLOOD AGAINST IMPORT-LESS AIR21: Without Thomas, McCaskill frolicks inside paint en route to personal conference-best 34
Source: PBA.ph
July 20, 2008
Magnolia Beverage Masters knew it would be facing an import-less Air21 team and the knowledge seemed to have done more harm than good.
At least according to Magnolia Beverage Masters coach Siot Tanquingcen, who was more dissatisfied than pleased following his team's 113-87 victory at the start of the Smart PBA Fiesta Conference semifinals Sunday at the Cuneta Astrodome.
“Magaling talaga ang Air21, pero parang masyadong naging complacent ang mga players ko. It seems we forgot what got us here, which is defense, so it was really a bad start from that aspect,” said Tanquingcen.
The win was Magnolia Beverage Masters' first over Air21 this season, coming as it did in the most opportune of times, which is the opener of their best-of-seven basketball series.
Amal McCaskill waxed the hottest among the Magnolia Beverage Masters players, coming up with a PBA career-high 34 points that went with 12 rebounds while Lordy Tugade's 22 points led four locals who had at least 10 points each and stepped up in the continued absence of Danny Seigle.
But Air21 was without Steven Thomas, who first attended tryouts for the Korean basketball league in the US and then stayed longer there after he attended the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball training camp.
Still, the Express managed to hold their foes through 10 lead changes and seven deadlocks, leaving Tanquingcen with more creases on his forehead than when he came into the gamme.
“The first half was played poorly,” he stressed, referring to the fact his team even trailed 39-44 at one point.
Thomas, who averaged 23.4 points, 16.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per basketball gamme and led the Lina franchise to its first-ever outright semis berth and first No. 1 ranking in the playoffs, is set to arrive Monday and will play in Gamme 2 on Wednesday.
The thought now gnaws on Tanquingcen.
“They're gonna get a confidence boost. Iba talaga pag me import ka,” he said. “We've got to make sure coming in that we do things right. We can't win if we conduct ourselves the way we did kanina.”
Expectedly, Express coach Bo Perasol was more satisfied with his boys' showing.
“We're not going to be hard on ourselves,” he said, already looking forward to Wednesday. “They will have to contend with us as a complete unit next time at ibang usapan na iyon.”
Ironically, McCaskill also seemingly drew the best from Homer Se, who surprisingly paced Air21 with a career-high 31 points to go with seven rebounds. Egay Billones' 13 points and Arwind Santos' 12 were the only other double figures for Air21, who barely got beaten off the boards, 46-53.
Once the Magnolia Beverage Masters got their act together, however, it was simply a matter of time before the basketball gamme's true colors came out and it did mostly in the fourth period.
Already going to the payoff quarter with a 77-59 spread, Magnolia Beverage Masters put the outcome beyond doubt by erecting a 110-84 spread.
The second half domination was paved by McCaskill right in the third period, where he outscored the entire Air21 crew by himself by scattering 14, one more than the Express’ output.
As a result, the Magnolia Beverage Masters managed to bloat a 50-46 halftime lead to as much as 71-52, on a layup by Tugade, 4:09 to go in the quarter.
The Express helped along their loss by going 2-of-12 from the field in the first 7:08 of the quarter.
Se, whose previous high was only 22 recorded in a 123-106 loss to Sta. Lucia in the Philippine Cup elims last January 13, was the lone real bright spot for Air21, but the 6-foot-5 center suffered cramps on his left leg after successively missing an undergoal stab and a followup, with 7:19 to go.
He returned later on and even had 10 points in the fourth period but the difference was too much for even him and his career gamme. (NCo)
The scores:
Magnolia 113 – McCaskill 34, Tugade 22, Hontiveros 11, Racela 10, Pena 10, Pingris 6, Ildefonso 6, Bono 4, Gonzales 3, Calaguio 3, Eman 2, Cortez 0, Villanueva 0.
Air21 87 – Se 31, Billones 13, Santos 12, David 9, de Ocampo 8, Canaleta 7, Arboleda 5, Kramer 2, Cruz 0, Intal 0, Espinas 0, Sotto 0.
Quarterscores: 31-26, 50-46, 77-59, 113-87.
