Crowd-favorite Ginebra opens a season of promise with showdown against ‘Clasico’ rival Magnolia

An interesting side story to Monday’s Christmas Day match: Can the double-header break a PBA attendance record anew at Philippine Arena? —Sherwin Vardeleon

BOCAUE—With a balanced roster seen as the only one that can rival a modern-day dynasty and coached by arguably the most brilliant mind in the PBA ever, Barangay Ginebra makes its Philippine Cup debut Monday to give everyone a glimpse on whether the hype is true or not.

Bannered by a twin tower combo and quarterbacked by a heady veteran in LA Tenorio, the Gin Kings have been labeled as the only ones capable of toppling three-time defending champion San Miguel Beer from its lofty perch.

But before they get their shot at the Beermen, they would need to run a gauntlet of teams also wanting a shot at them—at toppling basically the next best thing.

‘Manila Clasico’ rival Magnolia is first in line, testing the mettle of the Gin Kings in the main game slated at 5:15 p.m. at ultra-modern Philippine Arena here, with the Hotshots eager to prove that they belong in the conversation of title favorites for the season’s most prestigious jewel.

“I don’t need to motivate them (Hotshots) anymore,” Magnolia coach Chito Victolero said in Filipino. “I just need to remind them to have the proper mindset to stay away from the distractions, this game being held in Christmas.”

And while the Kings will use their Greg Slaughter-Japeth Aguilar tandem to overwhelm the opposition, Victolero is again going to rely on his 6-foot guard Paul Lee, who is also itching to be involved in the MVP talk judging from the way he played Friday night despite being less than 100 percent healthy.

Lee exploded for 30 points and almost single-handedly brought formidable Alaska to its knees.

And with coach Tim Cone, who won a 20th title when he guided Ginebra to a repeat in the Governors’ Cup last season, being the master of exploiting match-up problems, it would be interesting to see how he will make life difficult for Lee and press the Kings’ enormous advantage in the middle.

Meanwhile, NLEX, after a rocky debut, guns for a second straight win when the retooled Road Warriors battle Terrence Romeo and GlobalPort in the 3 p.m. opener.