Harbour Centre-Toyota Otis final unique in so many ways

The Finals series between Harbour Centre and Toyota Otis in the 2006 PBL Unity Cup could be unique in so many ways.

Foremost, it pits the team that first advance to the semis outright against the squad which made it last. The same thing happened for both of teams on the way to the finals.

Then it features too, the stars of the UAAP against the finest of the NCAA.

Based on those story lines alone, the best-of-five title series that begins Thursday, might easily go down as one of the fiercest and most dramatic championships in the league in recent years.

For Harbour Centre, it will be the combination of La Salle and Ateneo as Archers’ Joseph Yeo, Jerwin Gaco, Rico Maierhofer and Ryan Araña will be playing along side Blue Eagles LA Tenorio and Jec Chia in the finals for the very first time.

Before, perhaps even in one’s wildest dream, it seems impossible for players of two rival schools to play together under one team and fight for the same cause.

But through the dogged determination of Harbour Centre owner Mikee Romero, Ateneo and La Salle players got their act together and played as one in their exciting semis series win over Montaña Pawnshop. Of course, they won the series, 3-1.

That alone have turned the skeptics to Romero’s legion of believers.

For the Sparks, owned by lawyer Rey Oben, the dream to relive the glory days of Toyota, one of the two fabled squads in the pro league some decades back, might be realized sooner than expected.

Backstopped by pro-bound Joe Calvin Devance, little dynamo Boyet Bautista, Mark Andaya, Aaron Aban and Jonathan Aldave, the last four being members of the reigning NCAA men’s basketball champion Letran, the Sparks are raring to plunge into action and establish themselves as the emerging power in the league.

Toyota Otis’ big turnaround from a whipping boy to a title contender even surprised its coach Louie Alas.

After finishing dead last in the previous Heroes Cup, the Sparks worked their way up to the top after the elims and then made it to the finals by completing a three-game sweep of deposed champion Rain or Shine in the semis.