Ginebra, KIA overpower rivals

MATT Ganuelas of Talk ‘N Text finds his shot blocked by Ginebra’s Greg Slaughter in last night’s game at Philippine Arena. AUGUST DELA CRUZ

BOCAUE, Bulacan—Barangay Ginebra, the worst performing powerhouse team in the off-season, picked the perfect time to play its best last night.

In front of a noisy, record crowd of close to 53,000, the Gin Kings played with great efficiency and tore Talk ’N Text apart, scoring a 101-81 win as the 40th PBA Season got off the ground with the Philippine Cup eliminations at Philippine Arena here.

Meanwhile, KIA Motors got bailed out by a welterweight in the first game against fellow newcomer Blackwater Elite, but it wasn’t Manny Pacquiao.

LA Revilla, coming off the bench as the third point guard for the Sorento, hit a career-high 23 points, 14 of them in the breakaway third quarter, as KIA rallied for an 80-66 victory.

Japeth Aguilar scored 18 points, had the same number of rebounds and swatted away five enemy attempts in his finest game for Ginebra in months as the Gin Kings—who won just one of seven preseason games—got off to a rip-roaring start.

“I know that quotient is a big factor in this tournament, but I would have been very happy winning by just one [point],” Ginebra coach Jeffrey Cariaso said. “I don’t want to say that we under-performed [in the offseason], but if you go by the record, it was bad.

“But I firmly believe—even during my playing years—that if you work hard every day, you stay within your system and believe in it, wins will follow,” Cariaso said.

Mac Baracael drained 16 points like Greg Slaughter, who also collared 12 boards with Mark Caguioa shooting 12 and Jay-Jay Helterbrand 10 for the Kings.

Talk ’N Text played without resting Gilas Pilipinas mainstays Ranidel de Ocampo and Jimmy Alapag and got 20 points and 11 rebounds from former MVP Kelly Williams. Jason Castro scattered 19 and rookie Kevin Alas 10.

Ginebra grabbed control late in the second quarter and was never headed.

“I am just overwhelmed by the moment,” said KIA’s Revilla, whose playing time suffered when Pacquiao elected to start himself. “I don’t know what happened. I just stayed in the game and trusted the system, trusted everybody.”

Pacquiao, who will defend his WBO welterweight belt against the United States’ Chris Algieri on Nov. 23, played close to seven forgettable minutes—winding up scoreless with two errors—as the Sorento started out slowly to trail by as large as 13 halfway through the second period (See related story on A32).

“He played well [in the second half] which fired up the team,” Pacquiao said of Revilla at the packed press room. “We played good offense and defense in the second half that’s why we won.”

Revilla, the former La Salle starter in the UAAP, was the 24th overall pick by Globalport last season. He played just a total of 23 minutes with the Batang Pier and scored just two points in his rookie year.

Blackwater also did not help its cause one bit by committing 29 turnovers, 13 of them in the final two quarters. KIA, meanwhile, took care of the ball better in the second half where it had only five of its 19 miscues.

Rookie Juami Tiongson and JP Erram scored 10 points each for Blackwater, which lost Alex Nuyles and the veteran Sunday Salvacion to injuries late in the second half.

The scores:

First Game

KIA 80—Revilla 23, Thiele 13, Cervantes 13, Lingganay 11, Saldua 7, Alvarez 4, Sanga 3, Webb 2, Padilla 2, Buensuceso 1, Ighalo 1, Alonzo 0, Pacquiao 0, Raymundo 0.

BLACKWATER 66—Tiongson 10, Erram 10, Faundo 6, Nuyles 6, Menor 6, Cawaling 6, Artadi 6, Salvacion 6, Ballesteros 4, Rodriguez 2, Laure 2, Austria 2, Timberlake 0, Gamalinda 0.

Quarters: 12-21, 25-34, 63-51, 80-66

Second Game

GINEBRA 101—Aguilar 18, Slaughter 16, Baracael 16, Caguioa 12, Helterbrand 10, Mamaril 8, Yeo 7, Ellis 6, Tenorio 4, Brondial 4, Monfort 0, Forrester 0, Urbiztondo 0, Reyes 0, Ababou 0.

TALK ‘N TEXT 81—Williams 20, Castro 19, Alas 10, Fonacier 9, Ganuelas 9, Carey 4, Seigle 4, Reyes Ryan 3, Reyes Rob 3, Washington 0, Aban 0, Labagala 0, Espiritu 0, De Ocampo 0.

Quarters: 18-19, 45-41, 70-62, 101-81