Meralco, the newest team on the PBA block that scrambled to
come up with a competitive roster, chopped down fancied Barangay Ginebra to size
with a 73-72 upset that officially opened up hostilities on the Philippine Cup
at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
Mac Cardona dropped a running jumper off the glass with 32.9
seconds remaining and it proved to be the marginal basket as Meralco bucked
four crucial free throw misses later by playing hard-nosed defense to frustrate
the Gin Kings.
“You just have to appreciate his strength,” coach Ryan
Gregorio said of Cardona, his new go-to-guy that lived up to the billing.
Cardona, the former Talk ‘N Text stalwart who was acquired
by Meralco in one of the most celebrated trades in the off-season, finished
with 12 points, as he was pretty much on the defensive crosshairs of the Kings.
Meralco’s victory was the first by a new team on opening day
since Coca-Cola upended FedEx, also a new squad, in the 2002 inaugurals.
Ginebra, meanwhile, was in an opening day program for the first
time in 10 years, and this one didn’t prove to be a charm, unlike in 2000 when
the Kings humbled neophyte Red Bull and Yeng Guiao.
The Kings, after that Cardona basket, actually had three
tries to ease out front.
But Ginebra, in its potential game-winning play, couldn’t
get the job done as Willie Miller couldn’t control an inbounds pass from Ronald
Tubid with 2.4 seconds left which sealed the Kings’ collective doom.
Miller, the former two-time MVP who inked a maximum two-year
deal to remain with the crowd darlings in the off-season, was responsible for
putting the Kings ahead for the last time, with a long twinner coming at the
2:03 mark giving Ginebra a 72-71 advantage.
“I pretty much challenged them to make the necessary stops
in the end,” Gregorio explained as he continued to coach with the
defensive-oriented philosophy that netted him three championships with
Purefoods/Derby Ace in a pro career that started in 2002.
“Even if we missed crucial free throws, we were able to bail
ourselves out of trouble because of defense.” Asi Taulava and Cardona missed
four charities between them inside the final 14.4 which could have made things
easier for the Bolts, who have made a return to the big-time basketball scene
after buying the Sta. Lucia franchise at the end of last season.
Gregorio’s old team, the defending champion Derby Ace
Llamados, debut on Wednesday against rock-solid Talk ‘N Text also at the Big
Dome with the Rain or Shine vs. Powerade game acting as the appetizer in the 5
p.m. contest.
“There was pressure before the game,” said Gregorio. “The
feeling was pretty much the same when I first coached eight years ago. But I
have to caution everyone that one win doesn’t make a conference.
“Still, it’s so nice to win our first game in the PBA.”
Nelbert Omolon paced the Bolts with 14 points and the same number of boards and
Taulava finished with seven points, eight rebounds and three blocks.
Ginebra wasn’t at its best as the 11 points of JC Intal and
Tubid were enough to pace the squad.
Miller, Mark Caguioa and Rudy Hatfield all had 10 markers
for the Kings.
