Lucky 7 for Ginebra

If numerologists are to be believed, Barangay Ginebra was destined to capture the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Fiesta Conference Finals like it was written in the stars.

By some stroke of fate, the lucky number "7" figured prominently in the Kings’ ascent to the top.

Consider these telltale signs.

• Ginebra beat Red Bull by 17 in Game 4 to clinch the title on the 7th day of the 7th month.

• The Kings finished 7th in the eliminations after compiling a 7-11 record.

• Ginebra’s victory ended a 7-year title drought for the franchise that entered the PBA in 1979.

• Coach Siot Tanquingcen was born in the ’70s. His birthday is Nov. 3, 1972.

• Ginebra San Miguel is celebrating its 170th anniversary this year.

• Ginebra star Mark Caguioa shot at least 26 points in 7 games this conference. Caguioa has 7 letters.

• The last Ginebra championship came in 1997 with playing coach Robert Jaworski wearing the No. 7 jersey and the team known as Gordon’s Gin.

• To open the quarterfinals, Ginebra defeated Alaska by 7.

• Ginebra posted 7 wins from the quarterfinals to the Finals.

• In the Game 3 semifinal clincher over Talk ‘N’ Text to advance to the Last Dance, 7 Ginebra players were in the scoring column.

•Ginebra reserve guard Rodney Santos played a key role in the Kings’ title surge. He hit 7 points in Ginebra’s do-or-die win over Sta. Lucia Realty in the quarterfinal qualifiers and 7 points in the Game 3 clincher over Talk ‘N’ Text. In the Finals, the Slasher averaged an even 7 points a game.

• In Game 4 of the Finals, Tanquingcen said assists made the difference. Caguioa and Braggs dished out 7 assists apiece. Andy Seigle played 25 quality minutes in compiling 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocked shots. Incidentally, 7 is the sum of 2 plus 5.

How lucky was Tanquingcen? His first name Bethune has 7 letters.

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Tanquingcen, 31, confirmed the other day he is tying the knot with long-time sweetheart Rica Tenedora next month.

"We’ve known each other for 11 years," said the soft-spoken Tanquingcen who declined to reveal details of the wedding. "We met when we were studying at UST (University of Santo Tomas)."

Tanquingcen said it was Ron Jacobs who encouraged him to try coaching.

"Coach Ron put me on track," disclosed Tanquingcen who became San Miguel Beer coach Joseph Uichico’s chief lieutenant after hanging up his sneakers in 2000.

Asked to share his most memorable congratulatory message, Tanquingcen said it came from Uichico. "After the game, coach Jong shook my hand and told me, you deserve it," continued Tanquingcen. "That meant a lot to me, coming from coach Jong. I really appreciated it."

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Not too many fans realize that Tanquingcen, assistant coach Binky Favis, injured point guard Bal David and reserve forward Estong Ballesteros were UST varsity teammates.

Tanquingcen said Jay-Jay Helterbrand, Rodney Santos and Aris Dimaunahan did a heckuva job filling in for David who sat out the last 11 games of the conference with a groin injury.

"Of course, we could’ve used Bal," said Tanquingcen. "Sure, it was a blessing for Jay-Jay but Bal David is Bal David and he’s a great player.

Tanquingcen said Santos was purposely recruited to bolster the Ginebra backcourt because of his championship experience. Santos has now played for five title teams and in 10 Finals. Tanquingcen said Santos is the Kings’ stabilizer at either guard position.

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On Romel Adducul, Tanquingcen said the former Metropolitan Basketball Association MVP must be applauded for sacrificing his personal stats for the greater good of the team.

"We know what Romel can do offensively," said Tanquingcen. "But he sacrificed to focus on rebounding and defense. I don’t consider him a role player but a player who does his role like everyone else in our team."

As for Braggs, Tanquingcen described him as the hardest-working import in the conference. He cited Braggs’ leadership as exemplary.

Tanquingcen explained in playing Red Bull, he was often forced to play zone with a small lineup when the Kings’ big men got into foul trouble. "With our big men on the bench, we had to go small and play zone because of the mismatch if we went man to man," said Tanquingcen.

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Ginebra assistant coach Binky Favis said before the Finals, he told Caguioa he was one of the best PBA players today but without a championship, he was nothing. So after the Finals, Caguioa went up to Favis and asked with a championship, what he thought of him now.

Favis said Caguioa displayed his maturity in the Finals when he began to look to pass and didn’t force his shots. It wasn’t surprising that after Caguioa piled up a load of assists in the first half of Game 4, he found himself increasingly open in the third period. The Spark erupted for 15 points in the third quarter breakaway.

Favis said when Red Bull saw Caguioa repeatedly passing the ball and finding the open man, the defense started to sag off, creating good looks for the Spark. It was the classic example of unselfish play leading to scoring opportunities.

Favis said the pro-Ginebra crowd was a big boost in Game 4. The day before, there was thunder and lightning while the Kings practiced and they could hardly hear each other in the gym because of the storm. Favis said it was an ominous sign. In Game 4, the roar from the fans was deafening, too.