It's do or die: No love for Kings, Aces this Xmas Day

MANILA, Philippines – Alaska Milk and Barangay Ginebra are not giving love on Christmas Day.

The two teams instead wage war against each other as they figure in a knockout battle for the last seat in the PBA Philippine Cup Final Four.

The Christmas Day KO match is set at 5 p.m. at the Cuneta Astrodome with the winner advancing to the best-of-seven semifinals versus San Miguel Beer.

The other semis pairing pits top seed Talk n Text against reigning champion B-MEG Derby Ace. They start their semis showdown with Game One at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo tomorrow.

The PBA offers special treat to fans in its holiday presentation, including 1,000 free general admission tickets to be given away on a first-come-first-served basis at the Astrodome.

The Aces and the Kings both hope to celebrate the day with a win that will keep them in the running for the all-Filipino championship.

“Christmas Day is a tough day to have a knockout game. But it’s the same for both teams so we’ll both have to live with it,” said Alaska coach Tim Cone.

“It’s difficult to get the players totally focused on the game. We’ll need that total focus and that’s going to be our challenge,” Cone added.

The Kings forced the rubber match on a 94-76 rout of the Aces Wednesday at the Big Dome.

Ginebra coach Jong Uichico vow they’ll do their best not to waste their Game Two effort.

The Kings dished out a resolute defense, neutralizing in particular Best Player of the Conference award top contender Joe De Vance.

“It’s a good feeling that we’re still in it and we still have a shot,” said Uichico. “I’m really happy we had this extra game and I hope we can play better in Game Three and sustain our momentum from Game Two.

Asked what was the key adjustment they made in Game Two, Uichico said it’s for Alaska to figure out.

The Kings played well on both ends of the court Wednesday, imposing their game and dictating the tempo almost throughout.

In Game One, De Vance erupted for a career-best 30 points and the Aces played tough at the finish for a 104-101 decision.

The Aces hope to win the series to remain in the hunt for back-to-back championships following their Fiesta Conference conquest.

The Kings, meanwhile, are out to win the crown they last won in the 2006-07 campaign.