BY NOLI CORTEZ

NOW, Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio knows what a camel feels like after going through the proverbial eye of the needle.

"It’s a great relief to survive Red Bull," Gregorio said after his Giants beat the Bulls 83-71 last Sunday at the packed Araneta Coliseum.

The win in the deciding game of the best-of-seven semifinals series sent Purefoods to the finals of the Smart PBA Philippine Cup against Sta. Lucia Realty. The Realtors had earlier clinched a slot in the finals of the All-Filipino for the first time in franchise history after beating Alaska 92-84 in a similar Game 7 showdown.

The very anxious moments Gregorio and his wards were forced to go through against Red Bull will not be soon forgotten.

"This is by far one of the most stressful series that I’ve coached," he stressed. "I’ve been having nightmares and I’m just so happy the Red Bull series is over."

The Bulls and coach Yeng Guiao were simply trying to extend a dream run. They were, after all, not tipped to make it this deep in the conference due to previous trades that saw the team’s established stars either traded or leaving for other teams.

Yet the Photokina franchise led by the likes of Junthy Valenzuela, Mick Pennisi, Francis Adriano, Cyrus Baguio and Mike Hrabak refused to buckle under, until the last moment.

"Believe din talaga ako sa toughness ng Red Bull," gushed Purefoods star James Yap after pouring in a game-high 28 points. "Hindi mo maipagpag."

Aside from anchoring the defense on Baguio, Marc Pingris came up with 18 points and 14 rebounds while Kerby Raymundo notched 16 points and eight boards.

The Giants also had more rebounds 54-43 and converted 11 points off the Bulls’ 17 turnovers as they led from start to finish.

The Bulls, however, refused to fade away like the bad dream Gregorio likened them to. Only through the clutch baskets of Yap, Pingris, Raymundo, Roger Yap and Peter Simon in the last quarter did the Giants manage to pull away.

Gregorio credited his team’s tenacity to the system implemented by his Red Bull counterpart.

"This series, even this conference, stamped the class of coach Yeng Guiao," he said. "He is probably one of the best coaches today. It is also nice to survive a typhoon named Cyrus and a very versatile player in Valenzuela."

The tough win before a roaring crowd of over 17,000 made it sweeter.

"Ang nangyari nga lang ngayon, my players showed great resolve to find ways to win," Gregorio said.

"In a Game 7 like this, I was just an avid part of the audience trying to look at how my players willed their way to victory because coach Yeng is such a hard coach to go up against."

Purefoods advanced to its 20th finals stint overall in the 20th year of the franchise and the Giants are now bidding to tie the defunct Crispa Redmanizers’ record of five All-Filipino crowns.

Gregorio is also on track to become the first Purefoods coach to win two All-Filipino crowns, but he would rather have the conversation focus on the team.

"It’s such a great joy on the 20th year of the Purefoods franchise to make it to the All-Filipino finals for the 12th time in the last 20 years. It is really a great tradition we’re trying to prolong and hopefully we can win it all with the grace of God," he said.