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Air21-Ginebra title dispute boils down to one game
Source : Staff   
Wednesday, 20 August 2008 04:40

MANILA, Philippines – Will destiny finally be forgiving to Air21, or will it be cruel once again?

Can Ginebra survive its final game of the season with its superstars hurting, or will its undermanned line-up eventually give way?

In a series very few expected to end this way, the Express and the Gin Kings clash in Game 7 Wednesday that’s projected to be rich in drama and intensity for the Smart-Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Fiesta Conference title at the Araneta Coliseum.

This game shouldn’t have been possible in the first place had the Express did a good job on defense in Game 6 last Sunday. They should, by now, be celebrating their first franchise title they have waited for six years to come along.

But Air21, so to speak, underestimated the heart of a champion, loosening up when it built what looked like an insurmountable 16-point lead (33-17) before eventually losing grip of the match when Chris Alexander had an offensive explosion in the third quarter that keyed Ginebra’s 80-75 victory.

“It was just pure heart," said Ginebra coach Jong Uichico after the epic Game 6 triumph that set up the league’s 22nd Game 7 championship showdown.

Once again, Jay-Jay Helterbrand won’t play, still bothered by the hamstring injury he suffered in Game 2 of the series. Mark Caguioa, the other half of Ginebra’s ‘Fast and Furious’ tandem, will again be playing hurt because of a right knee tendonitis, an injury that has largely thrown off his offensive game.

But Ginebra has already proven that it can win despite those liabilities. The question now is whether it can do it again?

Ginebra has never won back-to-back games in these Finals, and this will only be the first time that the franchise will play in a Game 7 championship since winning the 1991 First Conference against Shell during the time of the legendary Robert Jaworski Sr. Ginebra won that series after coming back from a 3-1 deficit.

The last time Ginebra was ever in a Game 7 was in the 2005-06 Fiesta Conference semifinals against Red Bull, and the result wasn’t satisfying, losing it 83-79.

Alexander will be the man tasked to carry the burden for the league’s most popular ball club. The Best Import of the Conference exploded for 37 points last Sunday, 20 coming in the third quarter when the Gin Kings began unleashing a decisive 16-0 blast.

Air21 will now be assessed whether it would stick with its single coverage on Alexander, or deviate from what it has done in the past six games and employ a double-teaming defense on the Ginebra import once he receives the ball down low.

Except for the defensive strategy against Alexander, the Express are not expected to change much on their game plan. They know that they have to limit Ginebra from its running game and control the boards, more importantly, if ever they desire to snap a 6-year title drought.

“We all know what we have to do," said Air21 coach Bo Perasol. “We just have to shoot the ball well."

The Express, a team well noted for their offense, short only 32 percent from the field in Game 6, making only 24 of their 75 attempts. They also lost the battle of the boards (54-49) and only had 2 fastbreak points – a glaring statistic for a team that’s always been known as dangerous on the open court.

These are not the numbers Air21 would want to repeat tonight, especially on an atmosphere that’s certain to be hostile.

“Taking away the crowd for the entire game is a tough task," said Perasol. “But it can be done. We just have to take care of the things that need to be addressed."

Ginebra won that game even if Caguioa only had five points – all in the fourth quarter. Caguioa only took three attempts from the field and was only awarded 2 free throws. Erik Menk also was the only other player to score in double digits (10 points).

Gary David, Air21’s most lethal offensive option, meantime only had 10 points the last time and only had 1 point in the first 3 quarters while Wynne Arboleda had more turnovers (6) than points (4). – GMANews.TV
 
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