INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines—Back-to-back blowout victories haven’t calmed the nerves of Ginebra coach Jong Uichico.

The multititled mentor still talked with a sense of urgency even after the defending champion Gin Kings dominated Rain or Shine to move on the cusp of booking a return trip to the finals in the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference semifinal series.

“It’s been a very tough series,” said Uichico, whose team has beaten the Elasto Painters by an average of 13.5 points in the last two games. “No guarantees in winning Game 6.”

With the odds and momentum on their side, the Gin Kings look to finish off first-time semifinalist Elasto Painters at 4 p.m. today at the Araneta Coliseum.

Like Ginebra, San Miguel will also try to book its place in the finals in its 6:30 p.m. showdown with Burger King.

“This series has been a game of adjustments. We have laid all our cards on the table and tried to address our mistakes in the first few games of the series,” said Uichico, after the Gin Kings led by as many as 25 points en route to the 96-85 win in Game 5.

MVP contender Jayjay Helterbrand has been instrumental to the Gin Kings’ resurgence, averaging 20 points in the last two games.

The Whoppers staved off elimination and cut the series deficit, 3-2, with a 103-90 victory Friday night when coach Yeng Guiao said they were at their “most vulnerable.”

“For us, it’s just a tied series,” said Guiao as the Whoppers bounced back from a 120-119 double overtime Game 4 loss.

Only two out of 35 teams have come back to take a series from 3-1 down but Guiao said he is not looking at the odds.

“We feel that we will have our best chance on Sunday,” said Guiao, who will miss Beau Belga due to suspension after the rookie big man committed his fourth Flagrant 1 foul in Game 4.

Mark Yee returns to the lineup after sitting out Game 5 because of suspension, while JR Quiñahan and Cholo Villanueva will also be back after recovering from different injuries.

Coach Siot Tanquingcen reiterated the importance of limiting the Whoppers’ offensive production to enhance their chances of wrapping up the series.