BY NOLI CORTEZ
RED Bull knew it has Purefoods’ number and showed it in an
emphatic fashion last night.
Buoyed by a torrid start, the Bulls blasted the Giants 123-97
to arrange a knockout game for a finals slot in the Smart PBA Philippine Cup at
the Araneta Coliseum.
Kiko Adriano improved his previous career-high by two with 29
points, Mick Pennisi drained three-point shots with impunity and Cyrus Baguio
helped spark Red Bull’s fiery start that pointed the Bulls to their biggest
playoffs win ever.
Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao pointed to the offensive
adjustments his team made as the key factor in his team’s win that enabled them
to bounce back from a 95-96 loss last Wednesday and tie the best-of-seven series
at 3-all.
"They chose to live and die with the zone (defense) and I
guess that’s a luxury they have, being ahead in the series," he said, predicting
Purefoods’ bag of tricks would be empty going into the deciding tomorrow.
"There will be no more surprises on Sunday," he stated. "It
will be a case of sheer determination on one’s part to win. Whoever has the
greater desire to get into the finals will win that one."
Guiao relished the position they are now in, which he wanted
all along.
"This is what we wanted, to drag them into a Game 7," said
Guiao. "Alam naming malaki ang possibility that this will be a close series and
this is exactly what we meant."
He specifically pointed out Purefoods stars James Yap and
Kerby Raymundo, whom he said should be worn out by playing too hard for too
long.
"The long series and pressure, the hard work, are going to
wear them down," he averred. "We have to make sure we continue to put the
pressure on them."
Lending credence to his words were the fact Yap tallied 18
points on 7-of-16 shooting in 26 minutes and Raymundo just four points and five
rebounds in 29 minutes.
Peter June Simon tried to carry the fight for Purefoods with
26 points but even he and the rest of the Giants proved no match for a fired-up
Red Bull.
The Bulls buried the Giants right in the first quarter with a
42-point effort, sustained that with a 66 total at the half before going on to
lead by as many as 30 points in the totally one-sided match.
Those 42 first quarter points were the highest by any team
since last year and those 66 points were also the highest by any team in the
season-opening conference.
The 26-point final deficit was also the Giants’ worst loss in
almost three years.
All because Red Bull rained in 17 triples, breaking the
Photokina franchise’s single game record by one and tying the third all-time
most in league history.
Purefoods helped shape its loss early by going 0-of-6 from
the field and committing five turnovers in the first 4:49 of the game, enabling
Red Bull to surge ahead 20-1.
Marc Pingris broke the Purefoods field silence with an
undergoal stab at the 7:11 mark of the opening period, but momentum was clearly
already on Red Bull’s side and it won’t let go.
When Pennisi boomed in his seventh triple it became an 89-59 difference and
Baguio’s free throws enabled the Bulls to maintain a 91-61 lead in the last 2:55
of the third period.
