Do or die for Magnolia

Air21 is a win away from booking a date with Barangay Ginebra in the Last Dance of the PBA Fiesta Conference and the Express has two chances to clinch the ticket.

It’s double match point for Air21 in the best-of-seven semifinals against Magnolia with Game 6 set at the Cuneta Astrodome tonight. If the Beverage Masters survive, the decider will be held on Sunday.

For Magnolia to advance to the finals, Air21 must lose twice in a row, something the Express hasn’t done since early this conference when it bowed to Red Bull and Purefoods back-to-back last April.

If there’s a team that can bounce back from a 2-3 deficit, it’s Magnolia. The Beverage Masters are rich in playoff experience. The drawback is veterans Danny Seigle and Dondon Hontiveros may not be at full strength. Besides, neither Olsen Racela nor Mike Cortez has been able to set the pace to Magnolia’s liking from the backcourt throughout the series.

Air21 coach Bo Perasol isn’t just generating firepower from his squad but also the kind of tough, hard-nosed defense it takes to go far in the playoffs. Note that in Game 3, the Express held Magnolia to only 78 points and in Game 5, to only 82 - clear indications of Air21’s transformation into a solid two-way team.

In Game 5, Magnolia import Amal McCaskill felt the pressure of Air21’s defense and committed eight of his team’s 22 turnovers. In Game 4, which the Beverage Masters won, McCaskill had no turnover.

The Express took advantage of Magnolia’s errors and scored 26 turnover points to the Beverage Masters’ nine last Wednesday. Magnolia’s turnovers gave Air21 additional possessions, reflected in the Express’ eight more field goal attempts. Air21 won, 92-82, thanks also to five more three-point conversions.

Air21’s bench produced 47 points to Magnolia’s 38, a complete reversal from Game 4 where the Beverage Masters’ relievers hit 58 to the Express’ 26.

Perasol made key adjustments in his starting unit from Game 4 to 5, bringing Gary David and Ranidel de Ocampo off the bench. The trick threw off Magnolia coach Siot Tanquingcen’s matchup rotation. David wound up leading Air21 scorers with 20 points with De Ocampo chipping in 18.

It’s not certain if Hontiveros will play tonight. He logged only eight minutes in Game 5 before limping off the court with a severe sprain. And Seigle isn’t anywhere close to being 100 percent - he was scoreless in 14 minutes in Game 5.

If Magnolia isn’t able to match Air21’s intensity and parade healthy bodies tonight, Game 7 won’t be necessary on Sunday.

* * *

Alaska’s Tony de la Cruz, who turns 30 next month, is close to inking a contract renewal with the Aces even as his agent Caloy Allado said yesterday he’s holding out for a three-year extension. Alaska is offering a two-year deal.

Allado, whose son Don used to play for Alaska and now suits up for Talk ‘N’ Text, said De la Cruz is in the prime of his career and could go at least five more years of competitive play in the PBA.

Nine Alaska cagers are up for contract renewals with De la Cruz, Reynel Hugnatan and John Ferriols reportedly in the priority list.

“You couldn’t ask anything more from a player,” said Allado. “Tony is a role model. He plays hard, whether at practice or in a game. He’s a family man, coachable and a nice guy with no vices.”

De la Cruz is entering his ninth pro season. In the All-Filipino conference this season, he averaged 8.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 24 minutes. He started 10 of 28 games and shot .358 from three-point distance and a lofty .833 from the line. In the Fiesta conference, he hit at an 8.4 clip.

De la Cruz, wife Julie and children Marley, 5, and Mary Jane, 2, live in Manila. His wife, a full-blooded Filipina born in the US, once tried out for the Philippine women’s team. De la Cruz and his wife were campus sweethearts at the University of California-Irvine.

De la Cruz’ father Manny, a Far Eastern University accounting graduate, migrated to the US over 35 years ago. His mother Nelly is of Irish-German descent, an aspiring novelist and a semi-retired Federal Reserve officer. His sisters Allison, 32, and Marcie, 26, are both accomplished professionals. Allison is a well-known playwright and Marcie, a Master’s degree holder in psychology from the University of Connecticut, is an education consultant in San Francisco.

“I’m really proud of Tony,” said his father. “When he started his family, I was so touched when he told me his wish is to be able to raise his kids like I raised him and his sisters.”

After his playing career, De la Cruz plans to coach and become a personal basketball instructor.

“There’s a high school waiting for Tony to coach the varsity in Irvine,” said his father. “And there are kids looking for individualized instruction where the rates could go as high as $150 an hour. I think Tony will be busy after he finishes playing but that won’t be until three or five years from now. He’s also looking at options in Manila. Tony works so hard in anything he does, I know he’ll be successful.”