MANILA, Philippines—“We don’t know how we got here. We just know that we’re here,” said Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao just after qualifying outright for the Smart PBA Fiesta Cup semifinals.

Sunday night, Guiao and the Barako didn’t know what hit them at the start of their best-seven-series with Barangay Ginebra.

The Gin Kings opened up with all guns firing, building commanding leads early on and roaring to a lopsided 108-82 victory over the listless Barako and a 1-0 lead in their Final Four showdown at the packed Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

Ginebra held Red Bull to just 10 first-quarter points to kick off a virtual walkover for the Kings, just like the Magnolia Beverage Masters, who tore an import-less Air21 to shreds, 113-87, in the first game.

Birthday boy Chris Alexander had 16 points and 17 rebounds and starting point guard Jay-Jay Helterbrand also had a double-double with 16 points and 10 assists as the Kings won for the ninth straight game and looked truly formidable.

But coach Jong Uichico was quick to downplay the victory.

“We’ve never thought about the streak,” he said later. “This is just the first game and it doesn’t mean anything. It’s a seven-game series and we know what Red Bull is capable of doing.

“We have to be always prepared because we know that, as the series goes on, Red Bull can come back.”

So off-form were the Barako that Adam Parada was held to just six points and eight rebounds and was used for a mere 23 minutes by Guiao, who threw in the towel early in the fourth quarter by recalling his stars to the bench.

Magnolia coach Siot Tanquingcen got his charges to focus in the second half after describing them as “complacent” in the opening half. The Beverage Masters trailed by five points at one stage as the Express played heads-up even with import Steven Thomas scheduled to return only Monday.

Magnolia needed a big closing spurt in the second period and a solid third quarter start to finally take the fight out of the Express, the elimination-round topnotchers who missed Thomas’ 23.4-point and 16.5-rebound averages.

Thomas attended the Cleveland Cavaliers’ training camp and is on his way back to the country. He will be practicing with the Express starting Monday afternoon.

“The first half was played poorly,” Tanquingcen told scribes later. “Magaling din ang Air21 (Air21 is also good), but they had a terrible disadvantage. My players were complacent (that’s why we trailed).

“I’m sure it will be an awfully different story (in Game 2) with their import returning. They will get a huge confidence boost and we must be able to match that.”

The Express fought through their handicap in the first half, even leading by as many as 44-39 after five straight points from Wynne Arboleda heading into the final 4:48 of the second period.

But the Beverage Masters got things going and exploited their advantage to the hilt, with Amal McCaskill, virtually without a match underneath, shooting 14 of his PBA career-high 34 points in the breakaway third period.

The Magnolia import had back-to-back putbacks that ushered the Beverage Masters to a 62-50 lead with 5:49 left before Olsen Racela dropped a triple that signaled the start of the rout, 65-50.

McCaskill, whose previous high was just 20 points, also collared 12 boards, had two assists, two steals and two blocks in just 35 minutes on the floor. Five other players scored in twin digits for Tanquingcen.

“We will not be hard on ourselves,” said Air21 coach Bo Perasol.

The scores:

First Game
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 2, 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.
Quarters: 31-26, 50-46, 77-59, 113-87

Second Game
BARANGAY GINEBRA 108—Alexander 16, Helterbrand 16, Caguioa 15, Valenzuela 13, Artadi 12, Menk 10, Pacana 9, Salvacion 5, Crisano 4, Escalona 3, Reavis 3, Mamaril 2, Pablo 0.
RED BULL 82—Najorda 19, Duncil 16, Pennisi 8, Baguio 7, Juntilla 6, Parada 6, Cruz 6, Hrabak 6, Alvarez 3, Robinson 2, Adriano 2, Bugia 1, Ybanez 0.
Quarters: 26-10, 50-37, 79-57, 108-82