Aces, Beermen start best-of-5 semis series

Alaska Milk begins an uphill battle towardthe finals when it collides with San Miguel Beer today at the start of their best-of-five semifinal showdown in the PBA Samsung Governors Cup at the Astrodome.

The Aces, the 1996 grand slam champions and winners of the All-Filipino crown two years ago, square off with the Beermen at 8 p.m. seeking an important victory that could set the tone for what is expected to be an exciting series.

Beating San Miguel, however, will be a difficult task for Alaska considering the Beermen’s title romp over the last three years where they’ve one five titles. San Miguel is also in the semis for the ninth straight conference.

Another big thing going for San Miguel is the momentum of its victory over elimination round topnotcher Talk N Text in the quarterfinals. The Beermen needed to beat the Phone Pals twice to get to this point.

And should Alaska get past San Miguel in the semis, waiting in the wings is either Purefoods or Coca-Cola. Purefoods and Coca-Cola begin their own best-of-five series at 6 p.m.

San Miguel Corp. now owns four teams in the league — the other being Ginebra — after its recent purchase of Coca-Cola and Purefoods. Sending three of its four teams in the semis only makes things more difficult for Alaska.

The semifinals will also serve as a big test for the youthful Ryan Gregorio, who has worked wonders for the team since taking over head coach Eric Altamirano, now a part of the Asian Games-bound national team.

Gregorio, who calls the shots for the UP Maroons in the UAAP, will be up against Chot Reyes, one of the country’s finest coaches who once handled Purefoods.