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EVERYTHING is going right for the Barangay Ginebra Kings. They are
on a roll and the Red Bull Barako Bulls are rusty and hurting.
But coach Jong Uichico knows better.
“It’s a long series and we know what Red
Bull is capable of doing,” he said. “Winning Game 1 doesn’t
mean anything.”
Riding high on a conference-best eight straight
wins, the Kings are expected to repeat against the Bulls in Game 2
of their best-of-seven semifinal series in the 2008 Smart-PBA Fiesta
Conference Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Kings hammered the Bulls in the series
opener, 108-82, behind the collective efforts of import Chris
Alexander, Jayjay Helterbrand, Mark Caguioa, Junthy Valenzuela, Paul
Artadi and Eric Menk.
The Bulls hardly looked like the team that
clinched an outright semifinal slot in Game 1. Only Leo Najorda and
rookie Jojo Duncil finished in double figures.
The two-week layoff played against Red Bull’s
favor.
Obviously, the Bulls are rusty. They committed
27 errors and yielded 25 turnover points to the Kings.
To make matters worse, Adam Parada, the 7-foot
Red Bull reinforcement, is still nursing a hamstring injury and
remains a suspect starter.
The Magnolia Beverage Masters also eye a 2-0
lead against the Air21 Express in their own semifinal series.
The Beverage Masters had an easy time against
the import-less Express in Game 1.
Steve Thomas did not play in the opener but will
be back to lead the Express in Game 2. He attended the training camp
of the Cleveland Cavaliers during their break.
The Express gained an outright semifinal berth
after the topping the eliminations.
-- John Basco and Krista Angela Montealegre
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