FIESTA CUP
Express rebound, crush Gin Kings
Air21 sets up crucial Game Three
By Musong R. Castillo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 06:09:00 08/09/2008
Game Sunday (Araneta Coliseum)
6:30 p.m. — Air21 vs Barangay Ginebra
ANTIPOLO CITY, Philippines —When Air21 coach Bo Perasol said that he felt that his team was going to get better in Game Two, no one could have thought he meant changing the complexion of the Smart-Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) title series overnight.
After licking their wounds, the Express played like grizzled veterans in a setting this big, mangling Barangay Ginebra silly in a 124-90 victory that leveled the season-ending Fiesta Cup championship series at one-all before a stunned Ynares Center crowd here.
Playing in their first Finals stint after six long years in the league, the Express came out for the crucial second game minus the jitters that befell them in a lopsided Game One loss on Wednesday.
The loss was the first for the Kings in their last 14 games, and it was precisely the motivational tool that Perasol used to fire up his boys, who responded like no one else was able to against Ginebra.
“We just wanted to make a statement that we are here (title series) for real,” Perasol told reporters later. “We will not just roll over and die. We had to put doubts in the minds of the (Ginebra) players that they are beatable.
“Thirteen (straight) wins is something they can be confident about.”
Air21 looked to be in complete command right from the get-go, pouncing on the Kings, who took the floor a far different team from two nights ago by being a tad slower and obviously out of synch.
The Express buried the Kings completely in the third period with a 14-0 run that padded a 58-45 halftime lead to 72-45, a deficit that proved too much even for a team with such a highly-regarded comeback pedigree to overhaul.
And compounding matters for the Kings, Player of the Conference awardee Jayjay Helterbrand was helped off the court late in the third period after pulling his left hamstring in a fastbreak attempt.
Scoreless
Ginebra actually went scoreless from the 1:56 mark of the second period up until 6:36 left in the third when the foul-ridden Mark Caguioa, who came in for the injured Helterbrand, knocked down a triple for 72-48.
Air21 would later bloat that lead to as many as 35 points, 117-82, following a three-point play by rookie Marvin Cruz and three-point bomb by fellow greenhorn JC Intal heading into the final 3:05.
The crucial third game is scheduled tomorrow at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
Ginebra’s Game One victory looked so convincing that many were quick to concede that the Kings would be enjoying such an advantage for the rest of the series. But after doing his homework—and doing it well—Perasol might have even wrested the favorites’ tags from the Kings.
Like they did in the series opener, the Express ran at any given opportunity and, in a far departure from Wednesday, knocked down most of the open jumpshots that came their way to establish leads of as many as 15 points in the second quarter.
Thomas was a far different player, especially after watching Chris Alexander take home the Best Import trophy in simple ceremonies preceding the contest.
Terribly outplayed in Game One, Thomas took Alexander out of his sweet spot underneath and made the Ginebra import a virtual non-factor when the Express wrested control.
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.
BARANGAY 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.
Quarters: 26-18, 58-45, 92-63, 124-90
|
