BOCAUE, Bulacan: KIA Motors got off to a rip-roaring start in its PBA life on Sunday afternoon, getting all the lift it needed from a junior welterweight not named Manny Pacquiao.

LA Revilla played the game of his life, shooting 23 points to tow the Sorento to a come-from-behind 80-66 victory over Blackwater Elite as the 40th Season of Asia’s pioneering professional cage league opened in front of 52,612 screaming fans at the Philippine Arena here.

The 5-foot-8 Revilla, a former La Salle guard in the UAAP who weighs no more than 140 pounds — lighter than playing-coach Pacquiao — scored 14 of his total in the third period where KIA overhauled a 25-34 halftime deficit to break away and claim what Blackwater and so many other rookie PBA teams before couldn’t do: win its league debut.

“I don’t know. I didn’t expect this,” Revilla said in the post-game interview, which was mobbed because Pacquiao, as the winning coach, was set to appear. “I am just overwhelmed by the moment.”

Revilla, picked 24th overall by Globalport last season wherein he played a total of 23 minutes to score two points, issue two assists and grab four rebounds, was 10-of-12 from the field, including two triples, that went with six rebounds after coming off as the third point guard from the bench.

Pacquiao, who is set to defend his WBO welterweight championship against American Chris Algieri in Macau on Nov. 23, started in his first game as a professional basketball player and couldn’t prove that he belonged.

The only eight-division world boxing champion, who was selected 11th overall in the Draft by KIA as a player, played close to seven minutes and didn't get any favours from the opposing guards.

KIA trailed while Pacquiao was on the floor, as he coughed the ball up two straight times after being set up by teammates which led to the Elite posting a 15-6 lead going into the final six minutes of the opening period.

“I just told the players to get rid of the pressure during the half time break,” Pacquiao, who missed even his first 11 attempts during the warm-ups, said in Filipino during the interview.

“We played good offense and defence in the second half that’s why we won. And LA fired up the team in the second half,” Pacquiao said.

Pacquiao, though, gave credit to assistant coach Glenn Capacio, whom he said “actually planned everything for the team for the game.”

Sharing opening day honors with the Sorento were the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings, who broke away in the second half to post a 101-81 shellacking of Talk ’N Text in the second game.

Japeth Aguilar, who went through a slump in the latter half of last season, played a mammoth game for the Kings, shooting 18 points, grabbing 18 rebounds and blocking five shots in his best game in almost a year as Ginebra won pulling away.

Greg Slaughter contributed 16 points and 12 boards and three others were in twin digits for coach Jeffrey Cariaso, whose wards were the biggest disappointments in the off-season with a 1-7 card but clearly played like they are the title-favorites here.

“I would have been happy winning by just one (point),” Cariaso said during the customary winning coach’s interview. “The good thing about this team is that it continued to believe in the system, continued trusting each other and all are willing to play for each other.

“I firmly believe that if you have that kind of an attitude, the wins will follow.”

Talk ’N Text played without Gilas Pilipinas mainstays Ranidel de Ocampo and former MVP Jimmy Alapag, who were granted a leave of a few games after coming off two hard tournaments for the national team.

Kelly Williams led the Tropang Texters with 20 points and 11 rebounds and Jason Castro scattered 19.

But Ginebra was clearly the dominant team, as the Kings started peeling away from the Texters late in the second quarter to never trail again. After establishing several double-digit leads, the closest that Ginebra allowed the Texters was within two several times in the fourth period.

The crowd was obviously the biggest that ever witnessed a PBA game as they were treated to a bevy of beauties from the ageless Alice Dixson and Sunshine Cruz to reigning Miss World Megan Young and the sultry Ellen Adarna.

Cruz, Dixson and Adarna were muses during the traditional parade of teams which highlighted lavish opening rites of the 40th Season of Asia’s pioneering professional cage league.