Giants, Kings settle issue, reach semis

MANILA, Philippines - Barangay Ginebra and Purefoods emerged triumphant in their respective do-or-die games with Talk n Text and Rain or Shine last night to secure the last two slots in the KFC PBA Philippine Cup before a mammoth crowd at the Araneta Coliseum.

Ginebra completed a stirring comeback from a 0-2 deficit in a best-of-five series and ended TnT’s reign as All-Filipino titlist as the Kings overcame the Tropang Texters, 113-100, in a highly-emotional duel.

Purefoods, with its vast experience and deeper bench, outfought Rain or Shine, 95-85, to book its own place in the best-of-seven semifinal round which begins Wednesday in the same venue.

The seeded teams all made the Final Four with third-ranked Purefoods arranging a duel with second seed San Miguel and No. 4 Ginebra setting up a separate series with top seed Alaska Milk.

“It’s an awesome feeling we made it through despite all the things that had happened. We’ll cherish it tonight and go back to work tomorrow (Monday) to prepare for Alaska,” said Ginebra coach Jong Uichico.

“I didn’t imagine we would play Game Five. There’s no other explanation except that the guys never gave up, the crowd was there and the Lord gave us this blessing,” Uichico also said.

The Ginebra mentor, however, also admitted they got some breaks as Talk n Text missed the services of Ranidel de Ocampo.

The Texters, who walked out of Game Four in protest of a flagrant foul assessed on De Ocampo in a collision with Ronald Tubid, made everybody guessing whether they’re showing up until they came towards the end of the Purefoods-Rain or Shine game.

They came on board a bus that picked them up at the Moro Lorenzo Sports Center inside Ateneo. The team heard a mass and did a shoot-around before proceeding to the Big Dome.

James Yap, limited to an average of 12.5 points in the last two games, regained his fiery form, pouring in 28 points as the Giants eventually delivered the killer blow on the Elasto Painters after two missed attempts.

Marc Pingris, Kerby Raymundo, Roger Yap and Rafi Reavis also came through with huge numbers while Rico Maierhofer and Peter June Simon had some contributions returning from sickbay.

“It’s a big relief we pulled through. Everybody thought it’s gonna be a breeze for us but I really felt Rain or Shine would be a tough match-up for us. On certain times, they played with a bigger heart than us, but not tonight,” said Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio.

“We finally made it and we’re looking forward to the semis showdown with San Miguel. We’re 0-2 against them and they’re seeded higher than us. But we want an underdog tag. We play tough when our back is against the wall. The goal is to win and go to the finals,” Gregorio also said.

“San Miguel is a tough match-up for us. Individually, I’ll be up against physical players in Dondon Hontiveros, Lordy Tugade and Denok Miranda. But I’m going to prepare myself for the battle,” said James Yap.

The 2006 MVP winner came out armed to the teeth versus the Elasto Painters, firing two triples, nine twinners and four foul shots that went with four rebounds, three assists and one steal in 43 minutes of play.

He was 0-of-12 from beyond the arc in Games Three and Four.

“We made some adjustments in our game. I had my suggestion to coach Ryan which he okayed, allowing me to get the ball closer to the basket. In our previous games, I was receiving the ball beyond the arc and Rain or Shine was giving me a hard time getting to the basket,” said Yap.