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NOW OR NEVER

Ginebra, San Miguel gun for PBA Fiesta Cup

First Posted 13:19:00 07/17/2009

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Game today:

Araneta Coliseum

7 p.m.- Ginebra vs. San Miguel



In a winner-take-all Game Seven, numbers are not so important anymore. So throw all the stats out the window and let the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings and the San Miguel Beermen show who has the bigger heart.

The Gin Kings and the Beermen go for all the marbles today as both collide for the deciding Game 7 of the 34th PBA Fiesta Conference Finals at the Araneta Coliseum.

This grueling finals series went the full route when the Beermen hacked out a 98-84 win in Friday's Game Six, knotting the race-to-four series at 3-3.

The last five PBA Finals were all decided in seven games.

In the 2006-07 Fiesta Cup Finals, Alaska edged Talk N Text, 4-3. Sta. Lucia also needed seven games before dispatching Purefoods in the 2007-2008 Finals. The Kings also went through a grueling seven games before bagging the 2007-08 Fiesta Cup title at the expense of the Air21 Express (now Burger King) and in the 2008-09 Philippine Cup Finals, Talk N Text also survived a winner-take-all Game Seven versus Alaska.

With their Game Six victory, the Beermen kept their bid of bagging their 18th title alive. The Beermen have the most titles in any professional basketball league and are the winningest squad in the PBA with 17 titles, the same number of titles that the Boston Celtics have in the NBA.

The Kings, on the other hand, are gunning for their ninth crown and is hoping to become the first team to defend a title since 2002.

Ginebra has a perfect record in two Game Seven engagements. San Miguel, on the other hand, is 2-4, losing its last three outings.

"We haven't done anything yet because we just tied the series. God put us in the situation to test us. It's how we respond to adversity. That would define us as an individual and as a team," said San Miguel coach Siot Tanquingcen.

Ginebra coach Jong Uichico, meanwhile, is still confident about his team?s chances.

"It didn't happen tonight and we now have to do it Friday. It's a jump ball. A 50-50 percent chance of winning isn't bad at all," said Uichico, who coached San Miguel to several titles before being transferred to the Ginebra camp.

Ginebra, the clear crowd-favorits, will pin its hopes on import David Noel and its talented local crew headed by MVP Jayjay Helterbrand.

The Beermen will have import Gabe Freeman and former MVP Danny Ildefonso as their leaders for tonight?s crucial game.


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