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By Joel Orellana, Reporter
SISTER teams Barangay Ginebra and
San Miguel Beer shoot for a 2-0 lead against their respective rivals
as they eye another win in Game 2 of the semifinal round of the Talk
’N Text-Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup Friday at
the Araneta Coliseum.
The Kings collide with the Phone
Pals in the opener at 4:35 p.m. while the Beermen clash with Red
Bull in the main tiff at 7:20 p.m.
Ginebra took the opener of the
best-of-seven series with ease, 115-110, and quite impressive for
the wards of coach Jong Uichico who lost a vital cog in Eric Menk
prior the semis due to injury.
“In a way, it’s [Menk’s
loss] a blessing because the other guys like Billy [Mamaril], Rafi [Reavis]
and Mike [Holper] have to work harder,” said Uichico who once
again banked on the dreaded tandem of Mark Caguioa and Jayjay
Helterbrand in Game 1.
Caguioa fired 34 points, his 20th
30-plus career game, to lead the onslaught while Helterbrand dished
out a career-high 16 assists as the Kings jumped the gun on the
Phone Pals early en route to an easy win.
“This [win] is not a gauge of
the series. It’s a long series and we expect Talk ’N Text to
bounce back because they are a talented team,” Uichico added.
Renren Ritualo and Anthony
Washington are the only Phone Pals who stood up to the challenge in
that game as they scored 24 and 21 points respectively while the
rest failed to deliver.
Asi Taulava had only 14 markers
on just 6-of-7 shooting. Starting backcourt Jimmy Alapag and Mark
Cardona had a combined 12 points on 4-of-16 stint on the floor.
In the main game, San Miguel
braces for another tough challenge from the Barakos. The Beermen
took Game 1 in come-from-behind fashion, 114-109.
“This series is not a catwalk.
It will be very hard and will be a game of patience,” Reyes said
who had five players in double figures in the win but committed a
conference-high 26 turnovers for the team.
“But this is a long series. Red
Bull is a team that is really hard to match up because they can play
big and small and we really expected it,” Reyes added.
Meanwhile, Purefoods Chunkee star
forward Marc Pingris got a three-year extension from his team.
According to his agent Ed Ponceja, his new contract will expire on
July 2009.
Pingris, the Most improved Player
last year and the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in the
league, is set to tie the knot with actress Danica Sotto on March 3.
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