In the end, Purefoods showed resiliency while Alaska succumbed to the pressure. Purefoods finished off Alaska, 86-76, Wednesday night as the No. 3 ranked Giants completed a four-game sweep of the top seeded Aces to win the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup at the packed Araneta Coliseum.
Members of the Purefoods TJ Giants celebrate after completing a 4-0 sweep of the Alaska Aces in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals on Wednesday at the Big Dome. GMANews.TV
Alaska was supposedly the better team after finishing on top of the standings with a league-best 13-5 record to join San Miguel as the early qualifiers in the semifinal round. The Aces were seeking for their 13th PBA crown since joining the league in 1986 and were also hoping to erase the bitter memory of their seven-game series against Talk ‘N Text in last year’s All-Filipino Cup finals, which the Tropang Texters won despite losing the first two games. The Giants, in contrast, played with confidence and found an answer every time the Aces tried to mount a comeback. Alaska was still in the game and was only down by 10, 75-65, with 4:55 left in the final quarter but failed to execute down the stretch. Its veterans, like two-time most valuable player (MVP) Willie Miller, did not deliver the baskets the Aces needed in the crucial stretch of Game 4. After a Miller basket put the count at 75-67, Marc Pingris found Rafi Reavies underneath the basket to push the lead back to 10 with 4:13 to go. The Aces again threatened on back-to-back lay-ups by Sonny Thoss and Larry Fonacier, 77-71, but Reavis was again there to put the Giants comfortably ahead at 79-71 inside the three-minute mark of the contest.
Peter June Simon of Purefoods, left, and Alaska's LA Tenorio battle for ball possession during Game 3 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals on Sunday at the Big Dome. GMANews.TV
Miller tried to revive Alaska’s fading hopes burying consecutive three-pointers, which sandwiched a Roger Yap jumper, as the Aces once more put pressure on Purefoods at 81-76 with still over two minutes left in the game clock. Philippine Cup best player of the conference James Yap then calmly sank a three-pointer of his own at the other end, a shot that proved to be the final dagger that took the fight out of the Aces. Roger Yap sealed the final count with another running jumper as the Purefoods bench started its celebration. The win was the seventh straight for Purefoods dating back from the Giants' 4-2 semifinals series win over the San Miguel Beermen.
– Jon Perez/OMG, GMANews.TV 
GMA Brandtalk
Tracking
Archives
