PBA: Magnolia, Alaska brace for unpredictable, exciting series

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PBA: Magnolia, Alaska brace for unpredictable, exciting series

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

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There is no clear favorite in the 2018 PBA Governors' Cup finals showdown between Magnolia and Alaska, the teams' coaches said. PBA Media Bureau

MANILA, Philippines—There appears to be no clear favorite in the 2018 PBA Governors' Cup finals showdown between the Magnolia Hotshots and the Alaska Aces.

In what will be the first finals series between the two franchises since the 2010 All-Filipino Cup, neither Magnolia coach Chito Victolero nor Alaska counterpart Alex Compton are willing to embrace the tag of "favorites" -- though neither will admit to being the underdog, too.

The Hotshots won their lone elimination round encounter, 83-73, though both teams finished with identical 8-3 win-loss records. The Aces took the third seed by virtue of a higher quotient while Magnolia settled for fourth.

"Right now, wala akong nakikitang advantage namin, but hindi ko rin naman nakikitang may disadvantage kami," said Victolero, during Tuesday's pre-Finals press conference at the Sambokojin restaurant in Eastwood.

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"Sa tingin ko, it's a battle of execution siguro, and maybe some adjustments," he added.

The Hotshots are making their second finals appearance this season, after a breakthrough stint in the Philippine Cup where they lost to San Miguel Beer in five games.

"Magandang experience sa amin 'yung last ng Philippine Cup," said Victolero. "Pero sabi ko nga, nag-start ito hindi lang ngayong season eh. Even the last season, 'yung mga nakuha naming experince ay malaking bagay doon sa core ng team na ito."

Alaska is making its first finals appearance since the 2015-16 Philippine Cup, when they bowed to San Miguel in a grueling seven-game series that saw the Aces squander a 3-0 lead. They struggled in the next season, missing out on the Commissioner's Cup and the Governors' Cup before regaining their footing this year.

Now, they are set to make their fifth finals appearance under the guidance of Compton, and are finally hoping to break through after experiencing four heartbreaking defeats in the biggest stage in the PBA.

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"I expect a great series," Compton said, as he refused to give any prediction as to how the finals would play out. "Ang taas talaga ng respeto ko sa kanila. 'Yun talaga ang alam ko. And I love my team, so I expect a great series."

Compton, much like Victolero, does not see any particular advantage or disadvantage for his team, though he acknowledges that Magnolia has several talented players.

"Alam naman natin lahat — magaling si Paul (Lee), magaling si Mark (Barroca), magaling si PJ (Simon), si Romeo (Travis), si Ian (Sangalang)," he said. "Given na 'yun."

More than Magnolia's talent, however, it is how hard the Hotshots play that impresses Compton. "The way that they're playing, that's what I really respect," said the Alaska coach. "And it's both sides of the ball, I love the way they're playing on offense, I love the way they're playing on defense."

"Which means I'm gonna hate watching film, because I'm gonna be scratching my head a lot," he added.

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Yet this is also why Compton is convinced that the upcoming finals matchup is one that will be a must-watch.

"If you actually want to win, you need to play against the best," he pointed out. "San Miguel is the biggest most talented team in the league. Meralco was playing great basketball, and they were in the finals twice."

"And now, we're playing a team that I think is playing the best basketball. So if we want to win, then we gotta step up. We gotta be better than we were in the semis if we want to have a chance in this series," he added.

Game 1 of the best-of-seven series is on December 5 at Mall of Asia Arena.

"Ang mapa-promise lang namin, and siguro ganoon din si Coach Alex, is that this is a very good series," Victolero guaranteed. "Kaya lahat ng PBA fans, mag-e-enjoy dito."

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"I think yung competition ng bawat team talagang ibibigay nila lahat. I think parehas na gutom ang team na ito so yun ang maganda sa series na ito," he added.

For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website.

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