Cheered on by their roaring fans at the jampacked Astrodome, the Kings shifted to high gear at endgame, outlasting the Phone Pals who faltered on crucial errors by Willie Miller.
Emerging the best team in the double-round classifications with a closing 13-5 win-loss record, the Kings gained outright entry into the semifinal round.
Finishing joint second with identical 12-6 cards, the Phone Pals and the Shell Turbochargers dispute the second outright semis berth in a playoff on Jan. 7.
The loser of that match settles for a twice-to-beat advantage versus Red Bull Barako in the wildcard duels.
San Miguel Beer sent Red Bull down to the 10th place as the Beermen thrashed the Thunder, 92-78, earlier in the PBA twinbill extravaganza.
The Beermen, who rode high on the sterling game of Nic Belasco, gained a crack at the playoff for the No. 4 slot on its repeat win over the Thunder.
"It’s been a good year for Ginebra because the hard work of the players. We really worked hard to get where we are now," said Ginebra coach Siot Tanquingcen.
"This is our gift to our fans. It’s been a while since the last time na nakita nila ang team na nasa itaas," Tanquingcen added.
The Kings achieved their goal of finishing as No. 1 but the coach felt that being on top might also work against the team itself due to the long layoff with the semifinals set to start on the third week of January.
"We have to find ways to stay in shape. Kung pwede kaming maglaro overseas to keep in shape the better. We don’t want to fall into a trap like other teams in the past," said Tanquingcen.
Helterbrand, Andy Seigle, Eric Menk and Mark Caguioa starred in Ginebra’s searing finish that had them overcoming on early 13-point deficit.
Belasco had a huge performance, coming up with his second 20-20 game in the conference with 27 points and 22 rebounds in leading the Beermen to the key win that closed their double-round classifications stint with an even 9-9 win-loss card.
Three teams in San Miguel Beer, Purefoods and Alaska may end up tied at fourth place at 9-9 with the Aces hoping to beat the Sta. Lucia Realtors on Jan. 5. In this scenario, the Beermen and the Aces figure in a knockout for fourth place and the twice-to-beat advantage over the No. 9 squad in the wildcard battles.
The Red Bull Thunder wound up 10th and last in the classifications with a fifth straight defeat and a closing 6-12 record.