Kings march one win closer to crown

Red Bull Barako’s thunder fizzled out minus ace point guard Jimwell Torion and Barangay Ginebra simply capitalized on it to move to the threshold of a first PBA championship in seven years with roaring approval from its huge throngs at the jampacked Araneta Coliseum last night.

The Kings threw brimstones and fireballs as the Thunder started to feel the absence of Torion in the second half, scoring a 94-84 win for a pivotal two-game-to-one lead in their Gran Matador PBA Fiesta Conference best-of-five title playoff.

Coach Siot Tanquingcen becomes another mentor to win a championship right in his rookie year in the league while Ginebra ends its search for its first crown since the 1997 All-Filipino Cup if the Kings make it two in a row Wednesday in the same venue.

If they lose in Game Four, the Kings will have another shot at the championship in a winner-take-all setto Friday.

The bad news for Red Bull was that Tanquingcen and his main man Eric Menk vowed to go for the kill right in Game Four.

"It’s good to win and take the 2-1 lead but if we relax, this crucial advantage would go for naught," said Tanquingcen.

"We’re close now (to the championship). But there’s still a job to be done. We can’t afford to relax because we know Red Bull is capable of coming back," said Menk.

Menk, named Best Player of the Conference moments before the game, made a valedictory address in the form of another solid all-around game which rubbed off to his teammates.

The prized Fil-Am behemoth tallied 19 points and seven rebounds while Torraye Braggs logged 22 points and nine rebounds though plagued by fouls. Jayjay Helterbrand, Mark Caguioa and Rommel Adducul also scored in double figures in a balanced Ginebra attack.

The Kings unloaded the biggest bombs in the third quarter, erecting two 20-point bulges after holding a slim 36-33 lead at the half.

The Thunder waged a fightback in the fourth but the Kings kept their poise and confidence specially with Braggs returning to the floor in the last 3:36 of play.

The burly Ginebra import, who sat out eight minutes in the fourth quarter with five fouls, completed a three-point play upon his return and added the same play few moments later, helping the team finish off the Thunder.

Coach Yeng Guiao said they did miss the services of Torion but claimed spotty officiating was the big factor in the contest.

"We didn’t get our game going because we got frustrated with the calls that just won’t go our way. That affected our game a lot," said Guiao. "We felt it’s been going on since Game Two."

The outspoken Red Bull mentor, however, said all’s not lost for them and he’s still hoping they could overcome another adversity.

"We’ve been the comeback kid in this tournament. We’re back in a familiar situation. We have to curve it out again," he said.

As in Game Two, Braggs was already in foul-trouble situation even before the first half ended but the Kings managed to seize the lead at the turn this time.

The Thunder trimmed a 27-34 deficit to 33-34 on a six-point binge by Davonn Harp and Victor Thomas but the Kings carried over a three-point advantage into the second half on a buzzer-beating layup by Andy Seigle on an assist by Jayjay Helterbrand.