MANILA, 6 April 2006 — Ryan Gregorio, the feisty, animated and outspoken coach of Purefoods, last night was practically the complete opposite.
Gregorio got his Chunkee Giants to play with so much efficiency and effect that he almost did not get off his seat in a 105-94 victory over Air21, which meant a share of the PBA Philippine Cup lead.
Gone were the sideline antics of Gregorio, who did not need to prod his team more than he did when he sent his Tigers to the court for the opening tip on the way to improving to 5-2.
The Giants tied idle San Miguel on top, where they were earlier joined by another sister team, Coca-Cola, after an 89-85 decision of a hard-fighting Red Bull side in the first game at the Araneta Coliseum.
So solid were the Giants that Gregorio got eight of his players scoring in double digits, with pint-sized point guard Paul Artadi earning Player of the Game honors by orchestrating the Purefoods offense that ran the Express to the ground.
Artadi, the 5-foot-7 find from collegiate power University of the East, finished with 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting aside from dishing out nine assists.
“It was a game that happens once in a while, when everything and everyone clicked,” Gregorio later on told reporters during the customary winning coach’s interview.
Purefoods led by as many as 26 points at one point in the fourth period, and the final score did not really reflect on how much in control the Giants were.
Air21 got to within 99-90 with less than a minute left after hitting a series of three-point shots. But the Express still fell to 2-5 just the same.
Purefoods has won its last four games, the previous three by an average of a little over 16 points. Last night’s outing was no different, and Gregorio, contrary to a logical conclusion, is asking more from his boys.
“We can’t relax, no matter how early or how late in a tournament,” Gregorio said.
Even Jun Limpot, the former Rookie of the Year winner and superstar, contributed with 10 points off the bench like Fil-American recruit Eugene Tejada.
Coca-Cola snapped out of the rut, pulling out all the stops in the stretch to post the victory over Red Bull.
Man-mountain Ali Peek contributed 14 points, eight of them coming in the fourth period, while William Antonio posted a career-high in rebounds with 18.
“I think if we come out knowing each other’s roles and we play together, we can win more games,” said Coke coach Binky Favis.
Rookie point guard Dennis Miranda reset his career-high, shooting 21 points in helping the Tigers quash a spirited rally by the Bulls as Coke stopped the bleeding to also jack up its record to 5-2. The victory snapped a two-game slide for the Tigers, who opened up with four straight wins before falling to San Miguel and the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings in succession to yield the lead.
Red Bull has lost for the third time in its last four games, this, despite getting 19 points each from Lordy Tugade, Mick Pennisi and rookie Larry Fonacier.
The Bulls, who missed sending the game into an extension when Cyrus Baguio flubbed the potential game-tying play, are now in the company of Alaska Aces at 3-4, just a game ahead of the Express.
