SMB-Ginebra finals: Sister Act II

Forget that Barangay Ginebra and San Miguel Beer are SMC siblings.

Surely, they have no quarrel at all but don’t expect both to be kind to each other at least in the next few days as they dispute the PBA All-Filipino championship in a best-of-seven playoff beginning today at the Araneta Coliseum.

Coaching consultant Ron Jacobs is taking his hands off Allan Caidic and Jong Uichico while SMC top honcho Danding Cojuangco, if ever he shows up, is likely to take the middle seat at ringside as the mano a mano between the sister ballclubs starts at 6:30 p.m.

It can be called Sister Act II with the two teams pitted against each other in the finals for only the second time following their titular showdown in the 1989 Reinforced Conference won by the Beermen under coach Norman Black.

Of course, the cast is entirely different now and so is the plot.

This time, the San Miguel gang, led by Danny Ildefonso and Dan Seigle, are out to capture the only title missing in their war chest under Uichico. The Beermen have ruled both the Commissioner’s and the Governors’ Cups the last two seasons but not the All-Filipino Cup in the last six years.

Ginebra, meanwhile, is seeking its first crown in the post-Robert Jaworski era with some individual members of the team also having their personal goals.

Caidic, in his first finals since taking over from Rino Salazar in the 1999 third conference, is hoping to go all the way to steering the Gin Kings to their first title since their conquest of the 1997 Commissioner’s Cup.

Jun Limpot, in his first finals appearance since turning pro in 1993, and Vergel Meneses, back in the finals after leading Sunkist to three championships from 1993-95, vow to make the most out of it.

There’s also Mark Caguioa, the Fil-Am sensation from Glendale Community College, who could win a championship right in his first tournament in the local pro league.

Caidic and Uichico predicted a war with both giving each other a 50-50 percent chance of winning although PBA oddsmakers thought the Beermen will have the overwhelming edge in the series.

The two teams met only once in the eliminations with the Beermen hacking out a 92-88 victory. The final result doesn’t reflect the true story of the game as San Miguel totally outclassed Ginebra and just lowered down its guard in the fourth quarter.

A look at the statistics will suggest a close match between the two teams in the finals.

In the eliminations, San Miguel averaged 80.7 points, 42.9 rebounds, 16.5 assists, 3.0 steals, 2.4 blocks and 16.9 turnovers compared to Ginebra’s 79.5 points, 44.2 rebounds, 15.9 assists, 4.3 steals, 2.9 blocks and 17.9 turnovers.