History, destiny on line as Game 1 unfolds

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from philstar.com:
History, destiny on line as Game 1 unfolds
By Nelson Beltran
Purefoods chases history while Sta. Lucia seeks date with destiny as they clash in Game One of their 2007-08 Smart PBA Philippine Cup showdown at the Araneta Coliseum today. Red Bull and Alaska Milk play in the 4:50 p.m. curtain-raiser, disputing the second runner-up honors. PBA legend Francis Arnaiz and Filipino world boxing champions Gerry Peñalosa, Nonito Donaire, Donnie Nietes and Florante Condes have been invited to do the ceremonial toss in the finals opener. A dogfight is expected right in Game One of the title showdown with the protagonists likely to come out strong after a four-day break. The two teams are highly motivated with the Giants out to tie the Crispa Redmanizers’ record of five All-Filipino titles and the Realtors out to end a seven-year title drought by winning the most coveted championship in the pro league. In the end, it will be a clash of tradition and ambition since Purefoods is back in its old private preserve with Sta. Lucia raring to break into the elite circle of champs. Landing the All-Filipino finals for the first time in franchise history, the Realtors are eager to make the most out of it. The Giants, meanwhile, want to keep their All-Filipino winning tradition. “We’ve done many firsts in this tournament we might as well go all the way to win our first All-Filipino championship,” said Sta. Lucia coach Boyet Fernandez. (Related story on Page 22) “After all our hard work, we made the finals. We’ll do whatever it takes so as not to let this chance slip away,” said team captain Dennis Espino. Purefoods and Sta. Lucia are dead even with 14-9 win-loss records after the semifinal round but many feel the latter enjoys tremendous momentum going into the finals. A team which had never finished better than third in an All-Filipino tourney before, the Realtors are in a joy ride heading to the championship series. Sta. Lucia has marked its campaign in the tourney with several franchise records including a streak of eight straight wins, 12 triumphs in all in the eliminations, automatic entry into the semifinals and a first-ever All-Filipino finals appearance. Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio, however, insists one throws everything out of the window during the finals. “We’ve swept them in two games in the eliminations but that no longer counts too in this stage. We’re starting from scratch,” said Gregorio. The consensus among PBA coaches is that the two teams are evenly matched. Looking at the stats, no team also enjoys a tremendous edge.

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