GINEBRA’s Josh Urbiztondo tries to dribble past Alaska’s Robert Dozier (left) and Cyrus Baguio in last night’s Game 2 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals. AUGUST DELA CRUZ
HOT START, cold start—it really didn’t matter. Alaska still has complete mastery of Barangay Ginebra.
The Aces wiped away an early seven-point deficit with ease and all but crushed the spirits of the Gin Kings with a 104-90 win last night in their PBA Commissioner’s Cup title playoffs at Mall of Asia Arena.
Six players tossed in twin digits for the Aces, whose defense was again key as they shut down several key men at Ginebra to come within a breath of their first title in three years and first championship in the post-Tim Cone era.
Alaska can wrap it all up tomorrow and bag the franchise’s 14th championship. A win would also give Alaska just the eighth sweep in a best-of-five title series.
“We had to weather that first quarter storm,” Alaska coach Luigi Trillo told reporters later. “We knew they were going to come out with a lot of energy, there’s a lot of pride in that (Ginebra) team.
“It’s our defense,” Trillo answered when asked of his Aces’ success in this series.
Only two teams—Crispa in 1976 against Toyota and Purefoods in the 1990 Third Conference against Alaska—were able to come back from 0-2 deficit to win a best-of-five series.
Alaska led, 68-44 after a Cyrus Baguio turnaround with 6:15 remaining in the third period, and like in Game 1 on Wednesday which ended in an 87-70 rout, the Aces didn’t have much trouble holding off the Gin Kings the rest of the way.
“We have a game plan that is working, and until they figure that out, we have to stick to that,” Trillo said after improving to 4-0 against the Kings in this conference. “They now have to beat us three straight times, and for us, we have to keep on doing the same thing.”
Game 3 is slated tomorrow at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao and for Ginebra to stay alive, coach Alfrancis Chua would have to figure out how to get Vernon Macklin going.
After being limited to just nine Game 1 attempts, Alaska effectively threw Macklin out of his comfort zone and allowed the energetic Ginebra import just six tries at the basket and to just eight points last night.
Sonny Thoss is a big reason why Alaska has been able to check Macklin, and the gentle Alaska giant even threw in 16 points to pace his squad.
Robert Dozier tossed in 15 markers and plucked down 20 boards that went with five assists, a mammoth effort that Macklin didn’t come close to matching.
Dozier nailed the insurance free throw with 1:21 remaining after he was sent to the line by a hard Macklin foul where he lost his head band for 93-83.
Ginebra, the No. 7 seed which bundled out second-ranked Rain or Shine in the quarterfinals and powerhouse Talk ‘N Text in the Final Four, actually got the start that it wanted, racing to an 11-4 lead after a Tenorio triple with less than four minutes gone in the opening half.
But the Aces methodically chopped down at that deficit and zoomed away by using several spurts, eventually closing out the first period ahead by two and the half sitting comfortably on a 53-37 lead.
The scores:
ALASKA 104—Thoss 16, Dozier 15, Abueva 15, Baguio 15, Hontiveros 15, Casio 13, Espinas 8, Jazul 4, Belasco 3, Dela Cruz 0.
BRGY. GINEBRA 90—Helterbrand 17, Tenorio 16, Baracael 11, Raymundo 10, Macklin 8, Ellis 8, Labgala 5, Urbiztondo 5, Mamaril 4, Hatfield 4, Caguioa 2, Maierhofer 0.
Quarters: 25-23, 54-37, 74-56, 104-90