War On All Fronts

The Samsung PBA All-Filipino Cup Final Four finally begins today and all indications point to a fierce showdown on both sides of the best-of-five playoffs.

Raw nerves have been touched in the run-up to the semis and it could stir up emotions in the openers today at the Philsports Arena.

Alaska and Talk N Text take the floor at 5 p.m. then Sta. Lucia Realty and Coca-Cola at 7:30 p.m. Each team has declared total war in both duels.

There were verbal skirmishes. For one, Tim Cone had declared his big men are ready to take on Asi Taulava, the Talk N Text behemoth who threw the challenge back to the Alaska mentor with a strong "bring it on the court " remark. Ali Peek, EJ Feihl and Don Allado are likely to rotate on Taulava.

To everyone who cared to listen, coach Alfrancis Chua and his Realtors, meanwhile, kept on drumming up the patriotic pride twist to the playoff. They repeatedly pointed out how elated they were being the lone purely homegrown team to make it to the semis.

But the Coca-Cola Fil-Ams refused to bite. Jeffrey Cariaso, Rudy Hatfield, Rafi Reavies, Rob Wainwright and William Antonio were one in saying that they’re just like any other player in the league who’s out to play, win and earn a living.

If there’s anybody in the Coca-Cola team who has a score to settle with the Realtors, it’s coach Chot Reyes. He used to call the shots for Sta. Lucia but his services were terminated by the management in midstream of a tournament following a misunderstanding with the players. One player still in the Sta. Lucia lineup is team captain Dennis Espino.

Both teams, however, agree the Tigers enjoy a decisive advantage with Kenneth Duremdes sitting out probably the first two games of the series.

Chua has accepted the possibility of missing Duremdes the entire series and said they will just try to make do with whatever they could muster in the team.

"Sabi ng doctor ko talagang two weeks out daw ako. So baka Game Three na ako makalaro. Pwedeng i-gamble, kaya lang baka lumala. I’m just hoping hindi kami ma-two-zero," said Duremdes, now walking without crutches.

"We can’t deny that we enjoy the advantage if Kenneth doesn’t play. But Sta. Lucia still has a big weapon in its two big men in Dennis Espino and Marlou Aquino. We have our own big men but not in the caliber of Espino and Aquino," said Reyes.

The absence of Duremdes creates a big hole in the Sta. Lucia game. The 1998 league MVP leads the team in scoring (23.9), rebounding (9.5) and assists, (3.7). Incidentally, Duremdes averaged 41 points in the quarterfinals.

Duremdes is aching to get back in action as he’s also in the hunt for a personal glory. He’s a top contender for the Best Player of the Conference plum. He stands to get a cash incentive of P4 million from his team if he wins the honors.

But Taulava enjoys the inside track in the race as the Fil-Tongan slotman leads the league in scoring (25.4), rebounds (16.1) and shot blocks (1.8).

Taulava’s consistent performance is, no doubt, the main reason why Talk N Text made it to its first-ever All-Filipino semis.

Cone acknowledged Talk N Text’s desire for a championship but the American mentor said his team is also hungry for a title, their last crown coming three years ago in the same tournament.

"I can say our team is hungry for a title, too. This is an entirely new group. Only Don Allado was part of the last Alaska champion team," said Cone, whose old team dominated the league in the 90s, winning 10 titles.

The Aces want to re-impose their supremacy in the tournament, hoping to duplicate their triumphant finishes in 1996, 1998 and 2000. The Uytengsu ballclub is one of only five teams which have won the All Filipino Cup at least thrice, the others being Crispa (a record six times), San Miguel Beer and Great Taste (four each), and Purefoods (3).

Talk N Text and Alaska split their two games in the elims with the Aces breaking the ice, 96-78, last March 2 and the Phone Pals evening up, 89-88, on April 30. Alaska beat Talk N Text with Taulava serving the second of his two-game suspension for violating the league’s rule on illegal drugs. The Phone Pals got back at the Aces with Taulava back in harness, turning in a rare triple-double performance of 17 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists.

Coca-Cola and Sta. Lucia likewise split their elims games with the Realtors drawing first blood, 84-82, last April 6 and the Tigers coming back, 98-76, last May 23.