Eight years after losing to Purefoods TJ Hotdogs in seven matches for the 2002 Governors’ Cup championship, the Aces are back to thwart the three-pronged SMC offensive .
This Wednesday, the well-rested Aces collide with Barangay Ginebra at the start of their best-of-seven semifinal showdown at 5 p.m. at the Araneta Coliseum.
Clashing in the other semifinal series at 7:30 p.m. are San Miguel Beer and Purefoods TJ Hotdogs.
Alaska coach Tim Cone is the only remnant of the 2002 squad that eliminated San Miguel Beer in the semifinals and extended Purefoods to the full route in the finals.
Beaten by then neophyte Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio, Cone gets another chance to gatecrash the San Miguel party.
The Aces, who topped the preliminaries, had the luxury of a two-week rest. The last time they played, they beat Rain or Shine, 95-94, last Jan. 22.
"The long layoff is always a factor," said Cone. "But unlike the Christmas break, I feel we've prepared very well during this recent break and we're ready to play at a high level. The Gins are tough, no doubt. So we have to play tough."
The Kings, saddled by injuries, finished the eliminations with a fourth-best 10-6 card to secure an automatic quarterfinal slot.
They looked on the way out after dropping their first two matches against the Phone Pals, but rebounded with a victory in Game 3.
Talk ’N Text walked out over a disputed call in Game 4 and the Kings, egged on by their huge army of supporters, capitalized and closed out the series last Sunday.
Ginebra coach Jong Uichico is wary about the fatigue factor.
"That's for sure (fatigue). That's why being in great shape is so important,” said Uichico. "I need to do a good job of pacing the players. The road is tough for us. We need to find ways to win again."
Both teams split their elimination matches. The Aces won their first match, 105-96, and the Kings took the second, 93-90.
Alaska team manager Joaqui Trillo was quick to downplay its rivalry with San Miguel-owned teams.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s San Miguel or not. We’re not aiming at them. We’ll just take it one game at a time.”
It marks the second time San Miguel sent three teams to the semifinals – the first during the Governors’ Cup in 2002 when Purefoods, San Miguel and Coca-Cola were joined by Alaska. Coca-Cola, at that time, was still owned by SMC.
The other semifinal pits sister teams San Miguel Beer and Purefoods.
Source: Waylon Galvez | Manila Bulletin
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