Game 1 - PBA Philipine Cup Semifinals

PUREFOODS CLOBBERS BATTLE-WEARY RED BULL
Raymundo, Lanete baffle defenders, lead Giants’ brilliant semis start
Sunday, 27 January 2008

Going to their long break, the last thing coach Ryan Gregorio was worrying about was possible rustiness for his team.

"You get rusty only if you allow yourself to be. If it happens, it means you didn’t do your assignments," said Gregorio then.

Obviously, the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants did theirs.
The Giants came out strong from an 11-day hiatus and walloped the Red Bull Barakos, 103-84, in the opener of their 2007-08 Smart PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven semifinal showdown at the Astrodome.

"I think we went up against a battle-weary Red Bull. We came out strong and did a good job staying close with their shooters," said Gregorio.

"But Game Two is gonna be different. The two-day rest will give them enough time to rest. They’re always tough to beat because they have a big fighting heart," added Gregorio. "The only advantage that I can see right now is that we only need to win three games. They need to win four."

The Giants pulled one big game together but rookie Chico Lanete got the loudest cheers as he came like a thunderbolt in the third quarter, highlighting a searing Purefoods breakaway in the third period.

Lanete scored all but two of his 18 points in the third quarter, going 4-of-5 from the three-point arc and 4-of-4 from the stripe.

Purefoods got off to a strong start but Red Bull stayed in the game until Lanete sparked the Giants’ back-breaking third-quarter assault.

"Chico is a big-time player. He knows when to light up. He’ll be a marked man next time but he will find ways to score," said Gregorio of his prized acquisition from the rookie free-agent pool.

When Lanete was done hitting his four three-pointers, the Giants found themselves way ahead at 73-55.

With Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao refusing to call a timeout, the Giants simply rode the momentum and enjoyed leads of as much as 27 points.

Lanete piled up 18 points, six rebounds and one steal in only 17 minutes of action.

Kerby Raymundo scored a game-high 24 points while Marc Pingris came through with a double-double job with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Purefoods led from start to finish but Red Bull stood within striking distance, 44-48, at halftime.

Raymundo scattered 10 points in the first quarter, providing the initial spark for Purefoods as the team took a 29-16 lead at the end of the opening canto. (NC)

The scores:

Purefoods 103 – Raymundo 24, Lanete 18, Pingris 14, Yap R. 12, Yap J. 11, Yee 8, Simon 7, Adducul 5, Evangelista 4, Sanz 0.

Red Bull 84 – Valenzuela 15, Najorda 11, Baguio 10, Bugia 8, Sharma 8, Adriano 8, Hrabak 6, Ybanez 5, Duncil 4, Robinson 3, Cruz 3, Pennisi 3.

source: pba.com.ph

PBA Philippine Cup 2007-2008 - Quarterfinals

THE QUARTERFINALS: NO QUARTER WILL BE GIVEN… OR ASKED
By: Jason Webb
Tuesday, 22 January 2008

In one of the more unexpected playoffs to date, no top-seeded team won a game in the wildcard. Who would’ve guessed the results we had, given the caliber of two of the teams that were eliminated! In the first round of the wildcards, pre-conference favorite Talk ‘N Text, the No. 6-seed bowed to ninth-ranked Coca-Cola while defending champion Barangay Ginebra, which was No. 7 after the elims, fell to eighth-seeded Air21. And just last Sunday, the Tigers, the lowest ranked wildcard team, booked themselves the final quarterfinal spot with a win against the Express. It’s been that kind of season so far. Surprises aplenty!

The quarterfinals isn’t expected to be any different.

NO. 3 ALASKA vs. No. 9 COCA-COLA

After missing the last semifinal slot, Alaska looks to stop the continued advance of the lower seeds. Alaska, a team considered to be a championship-challenger squad, faces a team that no one would’ve penciled in for the quarterfinals after the first round of the eliminations. Coke has yet to beat Alaska this season but don’t think this should weigh heavily on the minds of both teams.

ALASKA

No letting up after winning last season’s Fiesta Conference. With a slight shakeup in their lineup (JunJun Cabatu for Nic Belasco) and an addition of a couple of rookies, Alaska seems to just keep rolling along. A team that seems to just know how to win, they never grabbed too much headlines on their way to the third best record in the conference. It has continued to be the old reliables for Alaska, with Willie Miller leading the guard charge. The biggest improvement for the team seems to be the improvement of the play of their big men (even with the loss of Belasco). The games of Reynel Hugnatan, John Ferriols and Sonny Thoss in the Philippine Cup have become one of their catalysts for their solid elimination round performance.

COCA-COLA

The surprise team of the second round of the eliminations as well as the wildcard, everyone by now knows the story. After winning just one game in their first eight, the Tigers pick up Asi Taulava via a trade and all of a sudden their fortunes change and now they’re in the quarterfinals. But that is not just the story here. The biggest improvement of Coke has been its ability to defend of late. Just look at the wildcard wherein they held Talk ‘N Text, the conference’s highest scoring team, to 73 points and kept Air21 at 102 (after Air21 previously had 119 against Barangay Ginebra). The team is undefeated when it keeps opponents under 100 in this early Asi era. This is a ball-control team, which uses the Asi threat at the post and is very selective with its fastbreak opportunities.

SERIES

No need to bring your seat belt for this series cause we should see quite methodical games (except for a few Miller or Ronjay Buenafe fastbreaks). With that in mind, half-court defense should be at a premium. And as things go, the Best Player of the Conference “may” (and I say “MAY!”) come from the winner of the series, Asi-Coke or Miller-Alaska. Their teams will be leaning greatly on the former MVPs (especially Coke) even with sound basketball systems intact. It will be a test of a triangle offense led by Willie and a ball-control post-up team led by Asi. In the end, it might not just be about them but a test of how good these two will be able to make their teammates better, without compromising their system.

NO. 4 RED BULL vs. NO. 5 MAGNOLIA

Here is match-up of a couple of teams that made it into the quarterfinals with opposite reviews. You have Red Bull which many believed, at the start of the conference, was supposed to struggle past the wildcard but in turn easily made it into the quarterfinals and even challenged for a semifinal slot. And on the other, Magnolia, a pre-conference Finals pick, which made it into the quarterfinals by the skin of its teeth. Regardless of how they got here, this will mark another match-up of teams that have gotten in each other’s face quite a number of times and each time they’ve met in a series, it has been quite a treat for PBA fans.

RED BULL

Red Bull has done an excellent job at staying within their strengths and sticking to their system. They have continued to find gems within players that other teams were unable to find something out of (Mike Hrabak and Carlo Sharma). One of the surprises of the eliminations (the other being Sta. Lucia), Red Bull’s lineup may have had some key losses along the way (trades, injuries, suspensions) but the results continue to be the same. This is a team that plays with so much confidence, as head coach Yeng Guiao has continued to find a way to make his team believe in “everything” he preaches.

MAGNOLIA

It was a testy conference for a team with an abundance of talent. I really felt that the Beverage Masters tried to find their identity during the conference, and through 18 elimination games I still wonder if they were able to do so. Of course, talent is one thing but getting them to jell together is just tougher than expected. A strange thing considered the good mix of veterans, youth and coaching that the team possesses. Up to now, everyone still seems to be waiting for them to come out of their shell. Maybe the off time before the quarterfinals was the break they needed to get them going. And this series against their former team for three of Magnolia’s key players (Rico Villanueva, Lordy Tugade and Larry Fonacier) might just motivate them to live up to the very reasons why they were acquired.

SERIES

Two teams that state the case of offense against defense -- Red Bull does a solid job of making teams miss (second behind Purefoods); Magnolia, on the other hand, is one of the better shooting and scoring teams in the league. It is a given that the Beverage Masters can score, what is critical for them in this series, is to prove to the Barakos that they also can defend. Magnolia seems to have the better tools but finding the five players that will give them the best combination of defensive and offensive presence will still be the biggest test for head coach Siot Tanquingcen. Red Bull will undoubtedly stick to its unpredictability system and run early its offense and try to put pressure on the transition defense of Magnolia. Look for Cyrus Baguio to often spearhead their fastbreak with Mick Pennisi and Hrabak trailing for open threes. The aggressiveness of Red Bull, I think, will be a given specially playing against Villanueva and company. Now, it will be up to Magnolia to match that intensity level of Red Bull on both ends of the court. Although, we know Magnolia is a team loaded individually, for this series, it should go down to which squad can play better team ball.

James Yap, Kelly Williams share weekly PBA honors

December 31 - January 06

James Yap of Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs has continued to stand tallest among the Giants while "Machine Gun" Kelly Williams of Sta. Lucia Realty remains rock solid for the Sta. Lucia Realtors. Both shared the weekly PBA recognition for the period December 31 to January 6.

"Big Game James" scored a conference high-tying 29 points last Sunday, lifting Purefoods to a 101-87 win over Coca-Cola and into the first automatic semifinals berths with a 12-4 win-loss record.

"James hit a lot of big-time shots in the second half (20 of his 25 points). And then his timely treys (5-of-11) doused cold water on the rally aspirations of Coca-Cola ," noted Giants coach Ryan Gregorio.

That's only part of the truth, however, as Yap's first five points of the game – a twinner and triple – in the final minute of the opening quarter led a 9-0 spurt that turned out to be the telling run of the match.

Gregorio acknowledges this.

"He has bailed us out of trouble so many times in the past and he continues to amaze me with his vast repertoire of offensive brilliance," the mentor added.

Some two hours later, at the same Big Dome venue, Williams churned up - points and a career-high 18 rebounds as SLR gave Magnolia a 97-77 drubbing that kept alive the Realtors' bid of also making the semis outright.

Should the Realtors win their last eliminations game against Air21 on January 13, they will then stretch their franchise record of won eliminations games while clinching the other automatic semis slot.

Sunday's win was SLR's 11th in 17 games overall and coach Boyet Fernandez can't help but point out Williams, who shone the most when rookie Ryan Reyes left the game early in the fourth period due to a hit on the jaw.

"Kelly was a terror off the boards and he's improving everyday on his offensive moves. But one thing little noticed is his defense," said Fernandez. "Kelly is now an all-around player and I'm happy and proud of him."

The said teams' prospects are also looking positively brilliant. In the 2006 Philippine Cup, Purefoods also clinched an outright semifinal berth and the No. 1 seeding in the playoffs and went on to win the championship.

Since the format was instituted in the 2004-05 season, this is the first time SLR has earned at least an automatic quarterfinals berth. But its seven straight win has already tied the franchise record set when the Realtors won their first and only title, in the 2001 Governors Cup.

"We've achieved our original goal which was just the Magic Five. If ever we make it to the semis outright, it's just the icing on the cake," said Fernandez.