With
a classic anthem playing on the background, men drenched in sweat and tears
drizzling from their eyes hug each other. Nah, this ain’t a scene from the movie Brokeback Mountain. This is the
real life drama called the PBA championship. And after four years of being the league’s heartbreak kids, my favorite
PBA team, the Purefoods Chunkee Giants, returned as the lords of the
All-Filipino cup. The Giants showed
impeccable poised and maturity in the end game and whipped the Red Bull Barakos,
90-83, to end their best of seven title series, four games to two.
At
the helm of Purefoods victory is team’s explosive duo of Kerby Raymundo
(Mythical First Team) and James Yap (2005-2006 Season MVP, Mythical First Team
Member), the keepers of the flame once held by Alvin Patrimonio and Jerry
Codiñera. Kerby scattered 27 points and
grabbed 14 rebounds while Big Game James torched the Barakos defense with
torrid outside shooting and slashing moves to finish with 25 points. But winning the series would have not been
possible without the solid support of the Giants’ supporting cast. Seldom-used Arnold Gamboa was a surprise
starter in Game 1 and banged in 6 points. Journeyman Don Camaso was inserted midway in Game 6, hit two free throws
and blocked Cyrus Baguio’s last second attempt at the end of the 2nd
quarter. Veteran forward Rey Evangelista
showed that his hustling defense hasn’t waned a bit and occasionally
contributed in the team’s offensive thrust. June Simon proved to be a reliable reliever for James Yap. His highlight move in Game 1, a gutsy,
acrobatic lay-up against the imposing defense of Mick Pennisi sent the crowd to
its feet. Paul Artadi, a longtime
teammate of Yap since their amateur days, used his lightning-quick
speed to break Red Bull’s trapping defense. Richard Yee became a chief contributor in the team’s offense aside from
grabbing those important rebounds. His
excellent movement without the ball made him a recipient of many drop passes
which often lead to easy baskets. Noy
Castillo proved that he is still a reliable clutch shooter. In Game 6’s closing minutes and with Red Bull sizing down
Purefoods’ lead to only four, 79-75, the Golden
Boy hit a booming triple which gave his team more breathing space. Roger Yap (Mythical First Team), a former high
scoring off guard in the PBL, finally found himself comfortable in the point
guard spot and ably orchestrate his team’s offensive flow. Surprised Finals MVP Marc Pingris (Most
Improved Player, All Defensive Team and Mythical Second Team), finally
blossomed into one of the league’s best power forwards. Pingris became the season’s biggest
revelation. From a seldom-used player of
Air 21, he was traded to the Giants and metamorphosed into a monster rebounder
and tenacious defender whose shot blocking prowess often lead to the opponent’s
offensive player changing his shot. But
if there is one Purefoods’ player who deserved the championship trophy more
than anyone else, it would be the Main Man Jun Limpot. A prized cager who won every championship
there is during his amateur days. he chased his elusive PBA championship dream for 13 long
years. He played for Sta. Lucia, was traded
to Barangay Ginebra and was once suspended for alleged drug used. Papa Jun finally found his home sweet home
with the Giants. Proving that his career is far from
being over, he showed that he can still slug it out with the younger players. He remains an offensive threat, consistently
hitting his perimeter jumpers. Occasionally,
he would give us a glimpse of his old self with his graceful spin moves in
the post. The teary-eyed Limpot was given a
well-deserved victory ride by his teammates after their gigantic victory.
The
championship trophy was a fitting climax for a team that nobody gave a chance
during the pre-season. Lacking a
legitimate center in their line-up, Purefoods defied all odds and topped the
elimination rounds of both the Fiesta Conference and the Philippine Cup. They barged into the Fiesta Conference finals
but was ambushed by the Barakos. In the
Philippine Cup’s best-of-seven semi-finals, everybody counted them out as they
fell behind the Alaska Aces, 1-3. But
the Giants did what others thought would be impossible, winning the next three
games to arrange a grudge finals rematch against the Barakos. This time the Giants had the last laugh by
winning the league’s most coveted trophy. It was not an easy ride to victory for Purefoods though. Along the way, they lost promising
rookie-forward Jondan Salvador to injury. Raymundo, Limpot and Castillo were also hampered by injuries during the
Philippine Cup. Then Eugene Tejada had a bad fall and broke his spine. Eugene’s injury became the team’s rallying point. Purefoods players patched his jersey number
33 on their uniforms. In the finals’
Game 6, they replaced the number with his initial ET and convincingly ended the
series that night.
A
veteran marathon runner once said, “There’s a limit to what the body can
take. After that the heart will take
over.” In winning the championship, the
Purefoods Chunkee Giants showed what playing with heart is all about. Coach Ryan Gregorio best summed it up with
his words during the post-game interview: “This is the triumph of the human
spirit. When they told us that we can’t
do it, we proved to them that IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING!” How sweet it is. 
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My
heartfelt thanks to all those who gave their comments on this blog. I really thought that nobody would give a
damn in all the write ups I am posting here. Your kind words of encouragement are sweet like candy to my soul. Knowing that the comments came from great
blog writers I look up to make it more special. Again, thank you very much.
