MANILA, 28 June 2007 — Tim Cone has earned his shot at redemption, and Alaska , too.
Cone and the Aces moved within another victory of a first Finals appearance in five years last night after rallying for a 93-87 victory over San Miguel that gave them a 3-1 edge in their PBA Fiesta Cup semi-final series at the Araneta Coliseum.
Mike Cortez, the Alaska cornerstone who is playing in just his first full month back from a career-threatening ACL tear, carried the Aces in the fourth period by shooting 12 of his 14 points.
“We just wanted to keep it close for three quarters, make our move from there,” the 6-foot Cortez told reporters. “We have to put them away in the next game because you can’t give a team like San Miguel life.”
Cortez scored 10 of those 12 points in a deciding 13-2 run that spread in just four minutes in a crucial part of the fourth period as the Aces erased a 60-68 deficit at the start of the fourth.
Alaska was still down, 78-72 before scooting to an 85-80 lead, with the Beermen coming within 87-85 with under one minute left after an LA Tenorio three-pointer.
But Jeffrey Cariaso scored on six free throws ad Cortez on another two as the Aces wrapped this one up and can go for the kill tomorrow in a venue they have never played in all-tournament long - the Cuneta Astrodome.
“We have to come out (on Friday) and continue to battle,” import Rosell Ellis, never a finalist in several stints in the league, said.
“We’ll try to wrap it up, come out with our A-Game on Friday because they (Beermen) are a very tough team.”
Cone was the last man ever to hold a 3-1 lead and blow it — against the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants in the last Philippine Cup.
Purefoods won the final three games of that series and went on to advance to the championship round before eventually losing in seven games to the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings.
And that memory still runs fresh in his mind.
“Last time we had a 3-1 lead, we lost,” Cone, speaking cautiously and trying to hide the glee after the Game 4 win, said.
“We have a good chance to close it (this series) out. But it’s not impossible for them (Beermen) to win three in a row.”
Coming into last night’s double-header, it wasn’t only Cone who was trying to redeem himself from a dubious distinction, but Derrick Pumaren of Talk ‘N Text, too.
Pumaren also blew a 2-1 lead in the semifinals of the same Philippine Cup last year against the eventual champion Kings, and last night, Red Bull made it 2-all in the second game after a 111-104 victory.
Red Bull snapped out of a two-game losing streak after drubbing the Phone Pals.
And it was a victory that coach Yeng Guiao expected, and the first step they needed to take to what he said, in reading between the lines, is another sure-fire stint for his Bulls in a title series.
“Coming into the game, I told my players that this (1-2 deficit) was nothing compared to what we went through last year,” Guiao told reporters.
“We’re comfortable now, having made the semis automatically.
“We’re back in business, and it was important for us to win the first game of what is now a race-to-two affair.”
Junethy Valenzuela scored 19 points, and James Penny added 18 as the defending champion Bulls built leads of as many as 18 points early in the second period before holding off the Phone Pals in the stretch.
Red Bull also held down Mac Cardona to just 20 points. Though JJ Sullinger did manage 40 for the Phone Pals, most of them came after the Bulls had erected a 40-22 lead after only three minutes of the second period.
