MANILA: Barangay Ginebra coach Jong Uichico strode into the press room last night with a howl, glad that he and his Gin Kings finally slipped past Red Bull.
Gladder even, that he will not see the Barako and Yeng Guiao until next season.
“The outcome of the series did not mean that it was easy for us,” Uichico said, moments after applying the broom on the Barako with a 101-94 overtime win and making it to the finals of the Fiesta Cup ahead of everyone else at the Araneta Coliseum.
“The players found a way to win and it makes me proud to represent such players,” he said.
Ginebra came charging back from six points down in the final 2:37 of the fourth period before playing perfect in the next three minutes of extra time to post a 4-0 sweep of the hard-fighting, overachieving Red Bull crew. The Kings nailed their first four shots of overtime and then defended like crazy the rest of the way to finally end the miseries of Red Bull in a series that was played as close as it could be.
Mark Caguioa hit 33 points, and Chris Alexander chipped in with 13, had 19 rebounds and seven blocks as Ginebra marched on to the 17th Finals appearance in franchise history and the second for Uichico with this team. And it was made all the more memorable since this was the first sweep in 16 years, or since 1992 when Guiao, then coaching Swift reinforced by Tony Harris, also posted a 4-0 whitewash of 7-Up and Dell Demps in the Reinforced Conference finals.
“We don’t think about the law of averages, of streaks or records,” Uichico said. “We just think about trying to win. Do the best they can. We’re here to win and not set records. We’re here to try to win every game.” Actually, it was the 12th straight win for the Kings dating back to the last six games of the elimination round, the two games in the quarterfinals against Sta. Lucia and this sweep.
Sister team Magnolia got back on the winning track and kept their hopes of a dream final with the Kings alive after Amal McCaskill drilled a pretty fallaway with 1.4 seconds left that keyed a 104-102 win over Air21 in the second game. That shot not only equalized their series at 2-2, it was also personal payback for McCaskill, whose first game in the PBA was marked when Air21’s Steven Thomas hit a similar shot that sealed a 91-89 win in the eliminations.
The second game was also a classic, and Magnolia, for all intents and purposes, extended its season with the victory since another loss would have pulled the Beverage Masters into a 1-3 deficit.
The Express had control but lost it when Gary David fouled out with under two minutes left. David scored 20 points in the first half and finished with 32, including nine in the fourth period.
Thomas had actually tied the game with 14.4 seconds left after scoring on a baby hook off McCaskill. And Tanquingcen could have talked about his team wanting it more because the Beverage Masters executed the game-winning play without calling a timeout.
Earlier, Lordy Tugade hit a triple with 26.4 seconds left that gave Magnolia a 102-100 edge before Thomas scored on that shot that knotted the count for the final time. McCaskill, who slumped on his back after the final buzzer, was one of three players together with Tugade and Danny Ildefonso with 19 points to pace the Beverage Masters.
