PBA: Whoppers claim semis in show of might
MANILA, Philippines – Bracing for a shootout, Burger King instead scored a ghastly rout as it overwhelmed a depleted Sta. Lucia Realty side, 120-72, to arrange a semifinal showdown with top seed San Miguel Beer in the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum last night.
All the Whoppers needed was one big scoring spurt in the first quarter. Gary David sparked the run by scoring the game’s first seven points en route to a 16-point bulge which they preserved the rest of the way.
David fired three triples for a team-high 19 points while Arwind Santos backed him up with 15 and reserves Cholo Villanueva, Aaron Aban and Carlo Sharma chipped in 12 points apiece as Burger King sealed a best-of-seven showdown with the Beermen starting Wednesday.
“The key is we have a good start, our starters had a good job of setting the tone, the guys coming off the bench then picked it up from there,” said BK coach Yeng Guiao, who steered the RP team to a sweep of the SEABA crown in Medan, Indonesia last week when they beat the opposition with an average margin of 38 points.
“My coaching staff did a good job keeping the guys sharp while I’m away,” Guiao said, referring to assistants Junel Baculi and Johnny Tam, who took over in his absence.
The 48-point romp also set a number of firsts for the winning franchise, the losing side and the league.
The winning margin was the biggest for the Bert Lina-owned club since routing Barangay Ginebra, 124-90, in last year’s Game Two of the Fiesta Conference finals.
It also dealt Sta. Lucia its worst loss since the Realtors absorbed a 79-114 beating at the hands of Red Bull, Guiao’s former team, in the same conference two years ago.
It was also the most lopsided game since Alaska Milk smothered Tanduay, 119-71, in the battle for third in the 2000 Commissioner’s Cup.
The Realtors sorely missed the services of reigning MVP Kelly Williams and Ryan Reyes.
Williams has been out for more than a month now with a rare blood disorder while Reyes sat out his first PBA game since he suffered a hamstring injury in Medan.
“Ryan Reyes and Kelly Williams weren’t able to play, that’s our biggest break,” said Guiao. “It would have been different if Kelly and Ryan played.”
It will be Guiao’s eighth appearance in the last nine semifinals as a coach, missing only when Red Bull, now Barako Bull, failed to make the grade last year.
“It’s a welcome event that I’m able to go back to the semis after missing it the last conference,” said Guiao.
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Kim Chiu
Antonio Fuentes Trillanes IV