MANILA: Using a hot start, Alaska last night threw all pre-Finals predictions of a close series out of the window.

The Aces held Barangay Ginebra to six first quarter points and went on to rout the Gin Kings, 87-70, for a 1-0 lead in their PBA Commissioner’s Cup best-of-five title series that left a crowd of close to 20,000 stunned at the Araneta Coliseum.

Those six points were the fewest by any team in finals history all-time, as Alaska clamped down hard on the befuddled Kings and held them to 8-percent shooting from the field in that span.

And that start was all that Alaska needed in establishing its identity in the game and the Kings would have to fight hardest tomorrow if they want to deny the Aces a huge lead in this short series.

“Six points (for Ginebra) in the first quarter, that’s our identity: Defense,” young Alaska coach Luigi Trillo said during the customary winning coach’s interview. “When we get a lead, we understand the situation. It’s going to be physical, borderline hurt.

“Our guys have to understand that they are going to get hit. It’s the Finals, so they know that.”

So fluid were the Aces that six players finished in doubles figures, led by relief point guard RJ Jazul, who came off the bench to shoot 16 points built around four triples, and Robert Dozier had a dominating effort with 14 points and 22 boards.

Dozier’s offensive performance was enough to prop the Aces up, but the same couldn’t be said of his Ginebra counterpart, Vernon Macklin, who was kept out of his sweet spot all game by the potent Alaska defense.

The Aces are seeking their first title in the post-Tim Cone era and Trillo likes that they won Game 1 the way they did since he didn’t extend most of his stars in taking the headstart in this series.

Trillo also knows, though, that routing the Kings early also gave his Ginebra counterpart, Alfrancis Chua, the chance to not over-extend his starters, save for Macklin and LA Tenorio.

“LA will come out more aggressive and try to take over the game. He tried to pick up the tempo in the second half. We need to keep playing with our identity,” Trillo said.

Macklin had 16 points and 14 boards and played with an obvious limp from the second quarter on, while Tenorio finished with 14 although most of his baskets came when the Aces were already way ahead.

Tenorio, the reigning Jones Cup MVP, missed his first eight shots and got his first basket with only less than three minutes remaining in the second quarter and Alaska already leading by as many as 25 points.

And from 54-24 early in the third, the closest that the Kings could come was within 68-79 with 2:51 left in the fourth, but by this time, the Aces were not to be denied and the Kings were practically running on empty.

Chua actually pushed the panic button early, going to the injured Mark Caguioa as early as 10:34 in the second period when none of his guns could find their range for the Kings.

Caguioa played for just five minutes and scored just two points, but the story of the game was how Alaska limited the likes of Kerby Raymundo and Jay-Jay Helterbrand to minimal numbers.

Raymundo and Helterbrand, superstars enjoying second winds, were big reasons why the No. 7-ranked Gin Kings are in these Finals. But last night, Raymundo hit just nine points and Helterbrand seven and the duo combined to shoot just 6-of-18 from the field overall.