PUREFOODS coach Ryan Gregorio knows his team had been in do-or-die situations before, but he has to admit the bind his team finds itself now is direr.

"The stack is higher this time, for one miss we die" he admitted.

It’s not that Gregorio and his Giants are just going to wilt and concede everything to the Sta. Lucia Realtors when they meet anew today in Game 6 of the Smart PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

Far from it.

"We were even in a situation when we were down 1-3 (in a best-of-seven series)," Gregorio reminisced. "If we can bounce back from a hole as deep as 1-3 we can certainly overcome this one if we give our best effort and energy."

And then there’s that Purefoods’ legendary never-say-die spirit, the one that tided it over Alaska twice, despite both times staring at a 0-2 deficit.

Gregorio is just plainly stating the facts, as if they are not obvious enough.

Sta. Lucia’s Game 5 win put it on the threshold of its first-ever All-Filipino title that will go well with its only crown since joining the league in 1993: The 2001 Governors Cup.

Should the Realtors fail tonight and the Giants level up, then it will be a tossup in Game 7 reset by the league on Sunday, to give the exhausted combatants some much-needed respite.

Gregorio doesn’t want to look that far ahead.

"We’re not looking at Game 7 because there will be no Game 7 if we don’t survive Game 6," he reasoned.

Thus, Purefoods’ motto, forged since it lost this series’ first two games, will once again be: Survive, stay alive.

"That’s still gonna be our battle cry," said Gregorio. "We just want to survive and play another game."

What should provide Gregorio and his wards a big boost is the return of James Yap and his finals average of 27.2 points from his one-game suspension.

"With a complete arsenal, I really think we’re going to come out fighting in the next game," said Gregorio.

Sta. Lucia coach Boyet Fernandez has gained enough confidence from his team’s win last Sunday to state, "We’ll be ready for him (Yap)."

Adding to Fernandez’s confidence is the fact the numbers are on his team’s side.

Since 1999, 18 of the 20 teams which led 3-2 in a race-to-four went on to win the series with 18 wrapping it all up in Game 6.