A Travis-Harris rivalry this time
There will be no part three of the Justin Brownlee-Allen Durham rivalry for supremacy in the 2018 PBA Governors’ Cup.
A hurting Romeo Travis of Magnolia buried Brownlee and the never-say-die Ginebra Gin Kings for good and Alaska’s Mike Harris showed he’s ready to succeed Durham as Best Import in ending the do-or-die run of Meralco in separate semifinal clashes last week.
The Hotshots and the Aces both finished with identical 3-1 records in clinching their respective best-of-five Final Four series to arrange what is expected to be an even more thrilling duel for the title.
The Gin Kings ruled the last two seasons over the Bolts despite Brownlee’s failure to beat Durham for the top import plum.
After scoring only 12 points, six of them in the last quarter as Ginebra stayed alive with a 107-103 win in Game 3, Travis responded with 50 points in Game 4 as the Hotshots finally dethroned the Kings, 112-108.
“I wouldn’t have been able to play a Game 5 the way my leg hurt,” later said Travis, who suffered a hamstring strain two days earlier.
The career-high output was one off the conference mark of 51 scored by Eugene Phelps of Phoenix in a 123-97 win over NLEX. Phelps also delivered 50 to lift Phoenix past eventual cellar-dweller Columbian Dyip, 113-107, although he failed to steer the Fuel Masters past the Bolts in the quarterfinals.
Ginebra, who was also gunning for a second straight title after ruling the Commissioner’s Cup where Brownlee nailed the Best Import award, actually enjoyed a 106-101 lead with barely two minutes left after the Kings got away with a goal-tending violation then picked up another point when Magnolia coach Chito Victolero was slapped a technical for vehemently protesting the non-call.
But Travis joined hands with Jio Jalalon to wrest the lead for Magnolia before Paul Lee ended the suspense with four straight free throws.
The Bolts, who rallied from 1-6 in the elimination round to reach the semifinals where they even took the opening game at 97-92, waged a playoff series to remember against the Aces before the lack of key players due to various injuries eventually did them in.
After blowing an early 28-14 lead in Game 4, Durham kept Meralco in the fight until Harris, a sharp outside shot like Travis, fired 10 of his team-high 27 points in a decisive 10-3 run that broke a 73-73 tie and lifted Alaska out front for good, at 86-76.
It will be the eighth title meeting for Magnolia and Alaska and the second Finals stint this season for the Hotshots, who lost to the San Miguel Beermen in the last Philippine Cup finals.
Both teams will be fully rested for the best-of-seven championship series with the PBA taking almost a two-week break to give way to the Fiba World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers where Gilas Pilipinas will play host to Kazakhstan on Nov. 30 and Iran on Dec. 3 at Mall of Asia Arena.
The Hotshots and the Aces start their crown showdown on Dec. 5 also at MoA.
