PBA honors Prieto; Kings aim for 3-l vs intact Beermen

MANILA, Philippines - The PBA pays tribute to its late founding commissioner then fetes the season’s top individual achievers before Barangay Ginebra and San Miguel Beer resume their title clash at the Araneta Coliseum tonight.

The Kings are bracing for the return of Danny Ildefonso and Marc Pingris as they try to build a 3-1 cushion in their best-of-seven series starting at 7:30 p.m. before another expected banner crowd.

The keenly awaited match will be held after the league fetes the top individual achievers and honors former league commissioner Leo Prieto who passed away last summer.

Pinoy Idol winner Gretchen Espina will sing the national anthem, celebrity performer Nikki Bacolod will deliver a special number while basketball living legend Sonny Jaworski and former league commissioners Rudy Salud, Rey Marquez and Noli Eala will be on hand as the league presses the “final buzzer” for Prieto.

In a special video, former PBA chair Honeyboy Palanca, Vintage Inc.’s Bobong Velez and former league stars Atoy Co and Norman Black will be among those who will extol the virtues of the late league official.

Meanwhile, Ginebra’s Jayjay Helterbrand is tipped to take the spotlight as he’s expected to be named the season’s Most Valuable Player.

Others to be feted are the Rookie of the Year, Most Improved Player, Sportsmanship Award winner, the Mythical First and Second Teams and the Mythical Defensive Team.

The mood is expected to change after the rites as the Kings and the Beermen slug it out again in a crucial outing for both teams.

Despite gaining a 2-1 edge with a rousing 116-103 victory over a depleted SMB side last Sunday, Ginebra coach Jong Uichico believes the burden of adjustment is still on them, especially with Ildefonso and Pingris back for the Beermen.

“We’re lucky to find a way to beat them in Game Three. But we’ll continue to be on the drawing board since Game Four will be a new game with San Miguel welcoming back two key players,” said Uichico.

San Miguel coach Siot Tanquingcen said they only have themselves to blame for that Game Three loss even as he challenged his players to stay focused and work hard to make up for their meltdown in a game they controlled majority of the way.

“We shot ourselves on the foot. We allowed them to shoot 40 points in a quarter. We can’t afford that,” said Tanquingcen, adding the absence of Ildefonso and Pingris were not a factor in the loss.

“Remember, we went on a run in classification round without them,” Tanquingcen said.

Ildefonso and Pingris, for their part, vowed to pour it all out tonight after missing Game Three as a result of a suspension for their misconduct Friday.

“Their return is a big concern for us,” said Uichico, also aware that San Miguel hasn’t yet been beaten two in a row in the conference.

Among those delivering significant numbers for the Kings are David Noel, Eric Menk, Ronald Tubid, Cyrus Baguio, Sunday Salvacion, Billy Mamaril, Paul Artadi and Helterbrand.