Higher-seeded Air21 underdogs vs Ginebra in PBA finals

MANILA, Philippines – They sound tough, and they look tough. But are the Air21 Express really ripe for a franchise-first Philippine Basketball Association title? Stepping onto a stage no one thought they could reach, the Express begin a best-of-seven title showdown Wednesday night against a Ginebra team loaded with talent and experience as the once-moribund franchise faces tall odds, unfavorable projections and a hostile crowd in the Smart PBA Fiesta Conference Finals at the Araneta Coliseum. A team that finished No. 1 in the double-round eliminations and one that fought back to win a semifinal series, Air21 now has the chance to prove that its time has come. The Express’ performance in the tournament is inspiring, but most figure that Ginebra—with its vast experience and all—has the upper hand in these finals. “It’s a tall order beating Ginebra," Express coach Bo Perasol said. “But we know that we have a job to do, and that is to give the franchise its first title. Our efforts would be meaningless if we don’t win." Only three players among the Express—two of them coming off the bench—have reached a PBA championship round before: Homer Se with Red Bull in the 2002 Commissioner’s Cup, Gabby Espinas with San Miguel in the 2006-’07 Philippine Cup and Egay Billones in last season’s Fiesta Conference. On the bench, the only one giving the Express an idea of what could happen at this level is assistant coach Leo Isaac, who, as a player, won a title with the very same franchise Air21 is challenging. Experience, however, is an aspect Uichico doesn’t believe the Gin Kings would enjoy much in the series. If they have an advantage in that department, it would be very little, he says. “Konting bagay lang naman ang advantage namin when it comes to experience," said Uichico. “We are on equal footing." The Gin Kings have 10 players with a combined 50 Finals appearances. The seldom-used Vic Pablo, the oldest active player right now at 37, has 10 championship stints while Eric Menk, Raffy Reavies and Junthy Valenzuela each having five. Mark Caguio and Jay-Jay Helterbrand also have five titles apiece. That’s a wide gap the Express will have to overcome especially in a grueling series as this one. But Air21 has already showed that it can rise to the challenge after beating Magnolia in the semifinals, winning it 4-2 despite losing Game One. Ginebra, on the other hand, is in its franchise-best 12-game winning streak. The last time the Gin Kings lost was over two months ago against Red Bull (86-82) on June 1. – GMANews.TV