Masustinihan kaya ng Purefoods?

Kakaibang karakter na ang ipinapakita ng Purefoods Chunkee na siyang may taglay ngayon ng 2-0 kalamangan sa best-of-seven championship series laban sa Red Bull para sa titulo ng Gran Matador Brandy PBA Philippine Cup.

Ang malaking katanungan ngayon sa pagsambulat ng Game-Three ng titular series sa alas-7:10 ng gabi sa Araneta Coliseum, manatili kaya ang karakter na ito ng Chunkee Giants?

Bagamat natambakan ang Purefoods sa Game-One at Game-Two, nagawa nilang makabangon patungo sa kanilang magkasunod na tagumpay.

"Now we’re building our character," pahayag ni Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio. "A lost lead is a lost lead. But we were able to come back, and now we’re gonna go for the third win."

Dismayado naman si Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao sa ipinapakita ng kanyang tropa na para sa kanya ay kulang sa determinasyon.

"Talo sa desire," wika ni Guiao. "And their (Giants) desire is consistent. Kulang na naman yung effort namin. They’re showing a higher level of determination than we are. So its also a problem of drive and motivation."

Gayunpaman, hindi pa rin nawawalan ng pag-asa si Guiao sa kanyang pinapangarap na All Filipino title.

"I am not going to say that it (first all-Filipino crown) is slipping away," aniya. "I still feel that the chances are good. But we have to find the right formula, and we need to win our first game first."

"It’s not anything that is technical that’s stopping us," sabi pa ni Guiao. "So we’ll see, maybe we can talk about it. It’s just a matter of making a decision to play at the level of the determination of the other team."

Naging consistent si James Yap, ang top contender para sa Most Valuable Player award, para sa Purefoods na tinutulungan nina Kerby Raymundo, Roger Yap, Mark Pingris, Noy Castillo, Jun Limpot at Richard Yee. (Carmela V. Ochoa)