MANILA, 7 December 2006 — Hard work well-rewarded.
Coca-Cola, a team that has been grinding it out but without the positive results to show for it, survived the loss of a 15-point halftime lead to post an 85-81 victory over Alaska that put the Tigers in prime position of advancing past the PBA Philippine Cup eliminations.
John Arigo hit four points inside the final 25.2 seconds as the Tigers won for the first time in eight games to improve to 4-11, good for temporary ninth spot in the standings, now a win ahead of newcomer Welcoat.
“It’s nice to finally get a win,” Coca-Cola coach Binky Favis said. “We have been deserving of one since three games back. And it was tough (losing) because the guys have been giving it their best every night.”
The win put the Tigers within the magic circle of teams that would play on, specially after the rookie Dragons were blown off the Araneta Coliseum floor by a vindictive Red Bull squad in the second game, 97-78.
Arigo, who together with Ali Peek were the only legitimate stars left when the Tigers dealt away so many players in the off-season, shot 16 of his 28 points in the fourth period, and had all the answers to a breakaway that Alaska tried to mount several times.
Alaska, which erased a 37-52 halftime deficit by forging ahead, 60-59 late in the third period, went actually scoreless in the last 2:15 after a split from Tony Dela Cruz tied it all up at 81.
Curiously, the Aces went down to 5-9 mainly because Dela Cruz had missed a total of five charities inside the final 4:34, none more important than the two he flubbed with 61 seconds left which would have shattered that deadlock.
Tiger Jason Misolas finished with 15 points, all in the first half, where he made 7-of-8 attempts from the floor and a free throw.
Willie Miller, who misfired a crucial three-pointer when the Aces were down by just two in the stretch, led Alaska with 18 points, while Jeffrey Cariaso added 12 and Dela Cruz, despite those blunders, was still good for 11 markers.
Red Bull played without coach Yeng Guiao, who was canned for two games by the Commissioner’s Office and ordered to pay a P65,000 fine for figuring in a mid-court altercation with Talk ‘N Text manager Frankie Lim Thursday night in Tacloban.
Lim, who had admitted to starting the fracas, was also slapped a two-game ban and ordered to pay P50,000 in fines even as a total of P567,600 in penalties was ordered paid by the Commissioner on erring personalities from both teams.
A total of 15 players and 18 staff members from Red Bull and Talk ‘N Text were levied penalties for leaving their benches at the height of the Guiao-Lim confrontation.
“How can this (decision) be fair and just,” Guiao asked. “How can I draw a heavier penalty when he (Lim) was the one who crossed the line and charged at me.”
Lim and Guiao, during the height of a Red Bull breakaway in a 104-76 victory over the Phone Pals, were involved in a shouting and shoving match at mid-court in Tacloban as players and staff members left their benches to further complicate things.
The amount of penalties was the biggest in PBA history as far as on-court fights are concerned.
It easily overshadowed the P235,000 slapped by then-Commissioner Jun Bernardino on Ginebra and Shell in 1999 for a bench clearing incident triggered by Jay Mendoza of the Turbo Chargers and Boy Valera of the Kings.
“This victory is for coach (Guiao),” acting mentor Gee Abanilla later said after steering the Barako to a 10-5 card, good for solo second place at the moment, just half-a-game behind the pace-setting Barangay Ginebra Kings.
Welcoat, which took a sixth straight loss, dropped to the cellar alone at 3-12 and would need to string wins in order to possibly make the wild card phase, the first stage of the playoffs reserved for the Nos. 6-9 teams after the eliminations.
The Dragons played without Rob Wainwright and Jojo Tangkay and trailed by double digits early. Welcoat never got back into the fight and its final three assignments - Sta. Lucia, Alaska and San Miguel - really look formidable.
Carlo Sharma led the Barako, posting a double double as early as the first two periods to wind up with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Enrico Villanueva, another big man, was also good for 16 markers and eight boards.
Jay-R Reyes led the Dragons with 18 points, and Jun Jun Cabatu had 14.
