Aces, Beermen relive old 'Fiesta' rivalry

MANILA, Philippines - Three championship contenders and a dark horse slug it out today, promising slam bang Wednesday action in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

Alaska Milk and San Miguel Beer clash in a rematch of their Fiesta Cup title duel in the 7:30 p.m. main game, succeeding the 5 p.m. tiff between Talk n Text and Powerade.

The Aces, the Beermen and the Tropang Texters, the three pre-season favorites, have lived up to their billing as they share the lead with 3-1 (win-loss) slates.

The Tigers, on the other hand, tote an even 2-2 card for joint fifth with the Air21 Express three weeks into the season-opening tournament.

“We didn’t play a well focused game the last time out and we have to be much better against San Miguel. They were a scoring machine against Powerade (last Saturday), scoring 98 points in the last three quarters,” said Alaska coach Tim Cone.

“Needless to say, defense will be a premium if we want to get back on track,” said Cone, expecting a tough showdown with the Beermen, who have gone 2-0 under new coach Ato Agustin.