Express face Pals with Lipa at helm

The FedEx Express welcome back coach Joe Lipa as they take on the surging Talk n Text Phone Pals in the Gran Matador PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum today.

The Express feel Lipa comes back in no better time as they expect a tough test against the Phone Pals who are riding the crest of searing victories over the San Miguel Beermen and the Alaska Aces.

The Beermen and the Barangay Ginebra Kings battle in the day’s other game with both gunning for a second straight win.

Shell rode high on the sterling game of rookie Rich Alvarez as it stunned Red Bull Barako, 93-86, in an out-of-town setto at the Xavier University gym in Cagayan de Oro City last night.

Alvarez went 6-of-8 from the three-point area and finished with 27 points as the Turbochargers overcame an early 15-point deficit for their first win in the season.

Red Bull suffered a second straight defeat.

Lipa missed the FedEx first game in the season versus Red Bull Barako last Friday as he was still with the RP young men’s team in the Asian joust in Tehran, Iran.

The Express came out in great shape coming off a four-month layoff, wearing down the Thunder with a sleek running game for a 102-95 upset win.

Though given a free hand to run the team, acting coach Jojo Villa said he applied Lipa’s coaching philosophies in steering the Express to the morale-boosting victory.

"Coach Joe (Lipa) told me it’s my team because he’s in Iran. He said I can do what I want to do and I’ve got his full backing. But what I did was run plays under coach Joe’s philosophy both on offense and defense," said Villa.

Meanwhile, the country’s most popular musicians and entertainers fill the coliseum air with soulful tunes, groovy sounds and block-rocking beats as the PBA launches its mini-concert gigs dubbed as The PBA On-Court Jamming.

The kick-off On-Court Jamming session serves as a side-show event of today’s double-header at the Big Dome.

Guests include acoustic act U-Turn, sexy star Ynez Veneracion and one of the country’s premier bands, Freestyle.

"The tickets of the fans who watch the games live won’t just be for the games anymore," said Jude Turcuato, the PBA’s director of sales and marketing.

"It’ll also be for good music, good entertainment in-between the games."

Freestyle popularized hits such as "Before I Let You Go," "Let’s Take It Slow," and the cover version of the Ogie Alcasid original "Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang?"

U-Turn, one of the emerging acts in the unplugged scene, is known for its acoustic rendition of "Hurting Inside."

Freestyle performs today between the afternoon and evening games at the Araneta Coliseum. U-Turn and Ynez Veneracion take the court during the halftime break of the San Miguel - Barangay Ginebra match.