GINEBRA TAKES GAME 1

02 July 2009

from www.pba.ph

Barangay Ginebra jumped out of the starting gate and sustained a searing pace on a massive offense, hacking out a 102-96 win over San Miguel Beer in the opener of the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference finale at the Araneta Coliseum Wednesday night.

The Kings converted 40 percent of their shots from the three-point area and outperformed the Beermen on the offensive board to fuel a torrid assault leading to their stirring victory at the start of the race-to-four-game series.

"Naka-swerte. We shot pretty well at the start then our defense worked in the second half. Naka-sagot kami sa opensa ng San Miguel when they started to get streaks," said San Miguel coach Jong Uichico.

"We like that situation na maka-una. Baka hindi kami nakasabay kung sila ang naka start ng malakas," Uichico added.

"We're not mentally prepared to play this game. It's not an excuse. Lahat lang talaga, from the coaches to the players, not prepared mentally," rued San Miguel coach Siot Tanquingcen.

"We let them convert 40 percent from the three-point area and get the offensive rebounds when they missed their shots. Our defense shouldn't stop in having them missed their shots. We should only stop when we already get the ball," Tanquingcen added.

Ginebra came out smoking, led by as many as 18 points and fended off a San Miguel rally at the finish with top gun Jayjay Helterbrand and five other Kings playing key roles.

Helterbrand and Paul Artadi got the team to a big start then Sunday Salvacion, Cyrus Baguio and David Noel took over to sustain the pace before Ronald Tubid had his key contributions helping hold off the SMB chase.

"We're still in the drawing board. It so happened that what we talked about and what we planned works in this game," said Uichico.

"We like this situation, winning Game One. But a first game is just a first game. It takes four games to win and we know the talent of San Miguel. They can be so overpowering that we really need to exert extra effort," Uichico added.

Helterbrand led all scorers with 21 points and added seven assists and six rebounds in a sterling performance in 38 minutes of action.

Baguio, Tubid, Artadi and Noel also scored in double figures for the Kings who surprisingly dominated the favored Beermen, leading by as big as 18 at 81-63.

The Beermen came threateningly close in the homestretch but the Kings stayed intact, holding SMB at bay on clutch shots by Tubid at the finish. Tubid fired seven of his 14 points in the last 32 seconds.

The Kings took an early double-digit spread at 19-9 and led by 17 at 53-36 before settling for a 53-41 spread at the half.

Helterbrand and Artadi started strong with the former going 4-of-7 from the three-point area and totaling 19 points in the first half and the latter knocking in three triples and a total of 11 points in the first five minutes of the contest.

With Gabe Freeman and Jay Washington hitting their strides, the Beermen came within two at 24-26 only to see the Kings make another decisive attack to rip the game apart at 53-36 with 1:54 left in the second quarter.

Helterbrand converted three of four three-point tries in the second period, the last capping the big blast that gave them the 17-point margin.

The Beermen made it a more manageable deficit as they scored seven unanswered points the rest of the first half. (NC)

The scores:

Ginebra 102 -- Helterbrand 21, Baguio 17, Tubid 14, Artadi 13, Noel 13, Salvacion 9, Lanete 5, Mamaril 4, Intal 2, Menk 2, Reavis 2.

San Miguel 96 -- Washington 19, Villanueva 18, Freeman 16, Cortez 12, Hontivoeros 11, Racela 7, Ilderfopnso 4, Pena 4, Pennisi 3, Pingris 2.

Quarterscores: 26-22, 53-41, 81-65, 102-96

BARANGAY GINEBRA MAKES FIESTA FINALS RETURN

29 June 2009

from www.pba.ph

Defending champion Barangay Ginebra weathered repeated rallies by Rain or Shine Sunday, in the process finishing off the Elasto Painters in Game Six of their semifinal series and earning a return trip to Finals of the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum.

Import David Noel and Ronald Tubid turned in 23 points and had 10 rebounds apiece to lead the Kings to their third straight victory, 108-100, and wrapped up the best-of-seven series, 4-2. Jayjay Helterbrand scored 17 points that went with his six assists and made two key plays late in the third that cut short the momentum of the charging Elasto Painters. After Ryan Arana made two free throws to pull Rain or Shine within 72-74, Helterbrand fed Noel for a three-point play then made two free throws as the two-time Fiesta champs made it a seven-point game before closing the period at 81-76.

It marked the 18th Finals appearance for the Kings, who are seeking their ninth championship. “You always feel good every time you reach the finals. But our work doesn’t stop here. Winning the championship will be our toughest challenge,” said Jong Uichico, the low-key Ginebra coach, who himself is making a 12th appearance in the Finals as head coach and third with the Kings. Saying he and his troops learned valuable lessons in the semis, Uichico praised Rain or Shine and its coach, Caloy Garcia, for providing them a tough challenge. “They made us a notch higher in terms of playing more intense and more energetic,” he said.

Barangay Ginebra is trying to become the first team to repeat as champion since Red Bull accomplished the feat in the 2002 Commissioner’s Cup. The Kings are already the first defending champion to make a return trip to the Finals the next season since Talk 'N Text did the feat in the 2004-05 Philippine Cup.

The end result must be tough for the Elasto Painters to accept. In their first trip to the semifinals, they figured they stand a chance to make it all the way to the league’s biggest stage after going up 2-1. But poor shooting and the absence of injured rookie guard Sol Mercado took its toll in Games 4 and 5 and their hope of stretching the series into a deciding seventh game came up short as Jai Lewis was nowhere the shadow of the import that carried the Elasto Painters in the Final Four. Guard Tyrone Tang scored a career-high 24 points and fellow rookie Gabe Norwood added 22, making up for the sub par showing of Lewis, who managed just six points on 2-of-6 shooting in a game that could reshape their title hopes. Lewis’ output matched his lowest this conference which he recorded in their 114-71 loss to the Kings last May 24 in their playoff for the second outright semis berth. In contrast, all but one of the 11 players Uichico fielded contributed.

Paul Artadi scored 17 points and had a conference-high six steals. Barangay Ginebra sent a strong message that they are dead serious about clinching series, dictating the pace early and playing aggressively that propelled them to a 30-17 lead late in the opening quarter. (DBC)

The scores:

Barangay Ginebra 108 - Noel 23, Tubid 23, Artadi 17, Helterbrand 17, Reavis 8, Salvacion 6, Mamaril 5, Baguio 5, Lanete 3, Intal 1, Wilson 0.

Rain or Shine 100 - Tang 24, Norwood 22, Arana 15, Ibanes 11, Reyes 11, Lewis 6, Isip 6, Laure 5, Dulay 0, Wainwright 0.

Quarterscores: 31-21, 60-53, 81-76, 108-100