MANILA - It’s now or never for Air 21 and Barangay Ginebra when they dispute the title today in a sudden death playoff of the best-of-seven championship series for the 2008 Smart-PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Kings scored a come-from-behind 80-75 win over the Express last Sunday to even the series, 3-all that forced for today’s rubber match.
Ginebra’s 7-foot import Chris Alexander, had been the major thorn in the Express’ throat as he fired a PBA career-high of 37 points–20 in the third period–to frustrate the Express, who are seeking their first ever title after battling it out in the PBA for 15 conferences in six seasons.
“The boys were sad with the loss but they themselves remained confident we can pull it off. Game 7 is all or nothing. Patibayan ito ng puso (A contest on guts),” said Air21’s head coach Bo Perasol.
For Ginebra’s coach Jong Uichico, who is aiming for the Kings’ eighth crown, the series will now come down to the team, who wants the title more.
“This series has gone a long way and it is a different ball game now,” he said.
“It’s more of the heart now. It has nothing to do with the Xs and Os. It’s sheer heart,” said Uichico, who is the most experienced coach in the PBA today with seven titles to his name and nine finals appearances since joining the league in 1999.
The vast experience of the Kings’ lineup that allowed them to appear in at least 17 finals stints since joining the PBA in 1979, would surely be a big advantage–a fact that even Perasol admitted early in the series.
Perasol, who took over the Express in the 2005-06 Fiesta Conference, is one of only three coaches among the active PBA head coaches, who still does not have a title tucked in their belts.
And Perasol, wants nothing more than to finally take a title.
Adding to the pressure for him is the fact the this is Perasol’s first time to steer the team to the final round of the PBA.
He is not ready to finish the season without the crown.
Despite this, however, it seems like Uichico is the one feeling more pressure coming into Game 7 because if they lose to the Express, it would mark the first time in 10 years that a San Miguel team will not have a single title in one season.
The last time it happened was in 1998, when Alaska and Shell won the three titles at stake. (FCC)
