INQUIRER Sports

GAMES TODAY (Araneta Coliseum)
4:30 p.m.?Barangay Ginebra vs Red Bull
6:50 p.m.?Air21 vs Magnolia

DISPLAYING FAR SUPERIOR FORM, Barangay Ginebra tries to apply the broom on a hard-fighting Red Bull crew Sunday and make it back to a Philippine Basketball Association title series for the first time in three conferences.

The Gin Kings are highly-favored in Game 4 of their Smart Fiesta Cup Final Four series with the Barako scheduled at 4:50 p.m. at the Araneta Coliseum.

?We must treat each and every game as if there?s no tomorrow for us,? coach Jong Uichico told scribes Friday night after the Kings zoomed to a 3-0 lead after a 94-91 tightrope triumph in Game 3.

?Now that we?re here, we want to get this over with as soon as possible,? Uichico added with a sense of urgency. ?There?s no point in making things difficult for ourselves because we cannot give Red Bull a chance. We know that character of that team and what (coach) Yeng (Guiao) instills in them.?

Meanwhile, Air21 seeks a third straight victory and a 3-1 lead over powerhouse Magnolia in their separate semifinal series.

Gametime is at 6:50 p.m.

The Express have remained undefeated against the Beverage Masters in the four games that import Steven Thomas has suited up, with Magnolia?s only victory coming in the series opener when Thomas was in the United States trying out for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA.

The Ginebra backcourt has outplayed its counterparts for the entirety of the series, and Chris Alexander has gotten the better of Adam Parada in each of the first three games, making it look like mission impossible for the over-achieving Barako.

No team in the rich history of Asia?s first play-for-pay league has ever come back to erase a 3-0 deficit to win a series.

Jay-Jay Helterbrand and Mark Caguioa have been on target and Guiao couldn?t seem to get two small men from his roster to step up at the same time and negate whatever contributions the ?Fast and the Furious? are churning out for the Kings.

But the missing link for Red Bull would still have to be the 7-foot Parada, who was very impressive in the eliminations but has not managed to raise his game to playoff level.