Aces, Giants start title showdown

MANILA, Philippines - Alaska Milk and Purefoods TJ Hotdogs start their titular showdown tonight at the Araneta Coliseum, each brimming with confidence it can handle the other and end up on top at the close of the 2009-2010 KFC PBA Philippine Cup.

Game One is set at 7:30 p.m., succeeding the one-game playoff for third place between San Miguel Beer and Barangay Ginebra at 5 p.m.

The Aces are out to end a nine-year title drought in the all-Filipino tourney while the Giants are out to reclaim the title they last won in 2006 and be the first team to match the Crispa Redmanizers’ record of five all-Filipino championships.

Alaska and Purefoods are both upbeat on the eve of the series pitting two teams with a history of classic title collisions in the past.

They have figured in six championships, splitting the duels evenly.

The Aces are 2-0 up on their all-Filipino clashes, but to the Giants belonged the last championship they disputed – the 2002 Governors Cup.

Each one is raring to come out to draw first blood in the series.

“We’re excited to be in the finals again. We’re confident that we have enough gas to compete against the best team in the league since Day 1 which is Alaska,” said Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio.

“We’re excited and ready. The guys are chomping on the bit. We haven’t played a lot of games over the last five or so weeks,” said Alaska coach Tim Cone.

The Aces will be back in action after breezing past the Barangay Ginebra Kings, 4-0, in their best-of-seven semifinal showdown. The Uytengsu ball club, earlier, dominated the elimination round to gain top seeding in the playoffs.

The Giants, however, are confident they can compete after overcoming tough adversities in the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and the San Miguel Beermen on the way to the finals.

Gregorio said the Aces have been so sharp all tournament long but his troops will battle with “a clear mind and a full heart.”

“We’re coming in as a gatecrasher. As a gatecrasher, we don’t have pressure and we’ll just savor the moment. We’ll enjoy the finals,” said Gregorio.

The Aces, meanwhile, are determined to go all the way to win the championship after losing the 2009 crown to the Talk n Text Tropang Texters by four points.

“It was a heart-breaker going a game short the last time around. We’re back in the finals and we don’t want this to slip away,” said Willie Miller.

The Aces are in their 24th finals appearance with a crack at a 13th championship while the Giants are in their 21st finale with a shot at an eighth crown.

Gregorio is looking to become the first Purefoods head coach to win two all-Filipino titles. The ball club won its first four all-Filipino crowns under different coaches - Ely Capacio in 1991, Chot Reyes in 1993, Eric Altamirano in 1997 and Gregorio in 2006.

Alaska, meanwhile, won all its 12 crowns under Cone.

The Aces average 95.7 points, 50.5 rebounds, 21.1 assists, 5.1 steals and 3.5 blocks while the Giants norm 89.6 points, 49.3 rebounds, 17.1 assists, 5.2 steals and 4.1 blocks – numbers suggesting the two teams would figure in a defensive battle.