2007–08 PBA Philippine Cup
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The 2007–08
Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines, composed of twelve company-branded Franchising, franchise teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia ...
(PBA) Philippine Cup or known as the 2007–08
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PBA Philippine Cup for
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reasons, was the first
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of the
2007–08 PBA season The 2007–08 PBA season was the 33rd season of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). The season was formally opened on October 14, 2007, at the Araneta Coliseum. The league started the season with the Philippine Cup, or the traditiona ...
. The tournament was formally opened on October 14, 2007, and ended on March 2, 2008. The tournament is an All-Filipino format, which doesn't require an import or a pure-foreign player for each team. The winner will receive the Jun Bernardino Trophy. The Sta. Lucia Realtors needed the maximum seven games to defeat the #1 seed Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants to win their first All-Filipino conference championship.


Format

The following format will be observed for the duration of the conference: * Double-round robin eliminations; 18 games per team; Teams are then seeded by basis on win–loss records. Ties are broken among points differences of the tied teams or by classification games. * #10 team will be eliminated * Teams seeded #6, #7, #8 and #9 play in a single-elimination tournament to determine the wildcard qualifier: ** #6 vs. #9 teams ** #7 vs. #8 teams **Winners of the first round meet each other to determine the wildcard winner * #3, #4 and #5 teams automatically advance to the best-of-3 quarterfinals: ** #3 team vs. winner of wildcard playoffs ** #4 vs. #5 teams * #1 and #2 teams automatically advance to the best-of-7 semifinals: **Winner of first quarterfinal vs. #1 **Winner of second quarterfinal vs. #2 *The winners in the semifinals advance to the best-of-7 finals. The losers dispute the third-place trophy in a one-game playoff.


Elimination round


Team standings


Schedule


Bracket


Wildcard phase


First round


Second round

Coca-Cola and Talk 'N Text met in the first wildcard round, with the two teams making a mid-season trade, with Asi Taulava going to the Tigers while
Ali Peek Albert Henry "Ali" Peek (born February 13, 1975) is a Filipino-American former professional basketball player who played in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). During his playing days, he played mostly at the center position, although ...
and draft picks going to the Phone Pals. Coke, which had previously denied the Phone Pals of a playoff for the last quarterfinal berth by winning their last elimination round game 2 days earlier, started out strong; the Phone Pals failed to answer to the challenge as they were beaten by the #9 seeds. Air21 on the other hand faced defending champions
Barangay Ginebra Kings The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the precolonial polities of the same name, modern barangays are political subdivisio ...
, which were decimated by injuries to
Billy Mamaril John Billy San Luis Mamaril (born June 25, 1980) is a Filipino-American former professional basketball player who last played for the San Miguel Beermen of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He plays the forward and center positions. ...
,
Mark Caguioa Mark Anthony Yu Caguioa (born November 19, 1979) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. He played his whole career for the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Known as The Spark and as MC47 f ...
and personal commitments by
Rudy Hatfield Rudolph Conse "Rudy" Hatfield II (born September 13, 1977) is an American-Filipino former professional basketball player who played for Laguna Lakers in the Metropolitan Basketball Association and for Tanduay Rhum Masters, Pop Cola Panthers, Coc ...
(Hatfield didn't return) early in the season caused several losses and they had to settle for a wildcard berth. Behind the shooting of team captain
Wynne Arboleda Wynne Arboleda (born November 26, 1976) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. He is known by his moniker "The Snatcher" in reference to his steals during games. Career Arboleda first played for the Laguna Lakers in the MBA and lat ...
, Air21 raced to an early lead. Ginebra cut down the deficit, but while Caguioa was on a fastbreak attempt,
Niño Canaleta Rommel Niño T. "KG" Canaleta (born February 12, 1982) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Biñan Tatak Gel of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) and Pilipinas Super League (PSL). He is also a former assistant coach ...
blocked his shot that virtually ended Ginebra's title defense. On the final wildcard game, Arboleda wasn't able to sustain his shooting as Taulava and
Mark Telan Mark Clemence Telan (born January 12, 1976) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. He last played for the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters in the Philippine Basketball Association. A former De La Salle Green Archer, he was 2-time UAAP ...
had career games to advance to the quarterfinals to face the Alaska Aces.


Quarterfinals


(3) Alaska vs. (9) Coca-Cola

Elimination round games: Alaska won both games, 117-106 and 98-94. Alaska ended Coca-Cola's run as the worst-seeded wildcard winner as they were eliminated by the #3 seed. Reigning
Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...
Willie Miller William Ferguson Miller MBE (born 2 May 1955) is a Scottish former professional football player and manager, who made a club record 560 league appearances for Aberdeen. Sir Alex Ferguson described Miller as "the best penalty box defender in th ...
made short work of the Tigers backcourt as Joachim Thoss overran the potent Coke frontcourt by converting outside shots.


(4) Red Bull vs. (5) Magnolia

Elimination round games: Red Bull won both games, 94-88 and 107-95. Magnolia and Red Bull renewed their playoffs rivalry with Red Bull forcing the upset, as Magnolia was rated as the top team during the preseason, with Red Bull being decimated by one-sided trades (ironically to Magnolia).
Cyrus Baguio Cyrus Marata Baguio (born August 19, 1980) is a Filipino professional basketball player who last played for the Valenzuela Classic of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). He also formerly played in the Philippine Basketball Associ ...
had a coming-out party as he scored a career-high 31 points to win Game 1 for the Bulls.
Junthy Valenzuela Junthy Valenzuela (born June 5, 1979) is a Filipino former basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), a former Red Bull Barako player. He was automatically pulled by Red Bull directly from the Philippine Basketball League. ...
outplayed former Red Bull players
Lordy Tugade Lordy Tugade (born December 30, 1977, in Alaminos, Pangasinan) is a Filipino retired professional basketball player. He last played for the Powerade Tigers in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Known as the Alaminos Assassin for his ...
and
Enrico Villanueva Jose Enrico Pascual Villanueva (born June 23, 1980) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. He last played for the NLEX Road Warriors of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Amateur career Villanueva first played for the ...
to sweep the Beverage Masters. The Bulls now clinch their sixth consecutive semifinals appearance.


Semifinals


(1) Purefoods vs. (4) Red Bull

Elimination round games: Red Bull won both games, 87-74 and 97-84. Purefoods, owing to a couple of weeks' rest blew out Red Bull which had defeated last season's finalists in Game 1. However, Red Bull came back in Game 2 to put up a defensive stand in the fourth quarter to tie the series, 2-2. Team captain
Junthy Valenzuela Junthy Valenzuela (born June 5, 1979) is a Filipino former basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), a former Red Bull Barako player. He was automatically pulled by Red Bull directly from the Philippine Basketball League. ...
kept the Giants at bay when they were making a run in the final minutes, scoring 2 crucial baskets. Purefoods then did their own pull-away at Game 3, crashing the boards at will;
Marc Pingris Jean Marc Prado Pingris Jr. (born October 16, 1981) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Biñan Tatak Gel of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) and the Pilipinas Super League (PSL). Regarded as an all-time grea ...
rebounded a career-high 19 boards. With a 1-3 series deficit looming, Red Bull again kept a pace with Purefoods in Game 4; however
James Yap James Carlos Agravante Yap Sr. (born February 15, 1982) is a Filipino professional basketball player who last played for the Blackwater Bossing of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Known by his nickname Big Game James, he is widel ...
injured his groin in the first quarter after scoring ten points and didn't return. Purefoods managed to hold-off Red Bull until
Cyrus Baguio Cyrus Marata Baguio (born August 19, 1980) is a Filipino professional basketball player who last played for the Valenzuela Classic of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). He also formerly played in the Philippine Basketball Associ ...
drove to the basket after a pick-and-roll for an unmolested lay-up to tie the game 86-all.
Peter June Simon Peter June Libo-on Simon (born June 1, 1980) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Davao Occidental Tigers of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). He has formerly played in the Philippine Basketball Association, play ...
missed his baseline jumper as time ran out to force overtime. In the extra period, Red Bull made an 11-2 run care of three pointers from
Celino Cruz Celino Salazar Cruz (born July 22, 1977) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. A deadly left-handed shooter, he is best known for his clutch plays. Cruz played eight seasons in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). After pl ...
and Francis Adriano to tie the series once again. After the injury to Yap, Purefoods coach
Ryan Gregorio Paul Ryan C. Gregorio (born April 7, 1972) and nicknamed by some as "Coach R.G." is a Filipino professional basketball coach. He was head coach of the Meralco Bolts in the Philippine Basketball Association from 2010 to 2014. Gregorio began his ...
announced prior to Game 5 that Yap would be day-to-day.CRUCIAL WEDNESDAY DOUBLEHEADER AT THE BIG DOME
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However, Yap started on Game 5 and Purefoods raced to a 40-17 lead after the first quarter. Red Bull crept up the lead and eventually cut down the lead to two with a minute to go thanks to a trey from
Mick Pennisi Michael Alfio Pennisi (born March 13, 1975) is an Australian-Filipino former professional basketball player. After playing for the Townsville Suns/Crocodiles of the Australian NBL during the 1990s, Pennisi moved to the Philippines in 2000 and p ...
. In the ensuing possession, Pingris was fouled on the act of shooting; Pingris missed both of his freethrows to give Red Bull another chance. After the time out and with both teams in penalty, Valenzuela was fouled. Valenzuela converted the first but missed the second, which led to a
Kerby Raymundo Kerby Mariano Raymundo (born January 19, 1981) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. He last played for the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Known as The Kid, he was a former star player ...
rebound that sealed the win for the Giants. Needing to win twice in a row to enter the finals, Red Bull started Game 6 with a 20-1 blast that caught Purefoods flatfooted. The Bulls then cruised on, with
Mike Hrabak Michael Allen Pasana Hrabak (born August 27, 1979) is a Filipino-Turkish former professional basketball player. He last played for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters of the Philippine Basketball Association. He was drafted second overall by She ...
and Pennisi shooting treys to tie the series for last time, at 3-all. However, Purefoods started out Game 7 strong but the Barakos answered every Giants run to keep pace; however, thanks to misses from the perimeter by Red Bull and Purefoods' transition defense, the Giants were able to clinch their league-leading 12th All-Filipino Cup finals appearance.


(2) Sta. Lucia vs. (3) Alaska

Elimination round games: Sta. Lucia won both games, 94-88 and 101-96. Unlike Purefoods which capitalized their long rest, Sta. Lucia had a rusty Game 1 that led to an Alaska blowout. However, Sta. Lucia then had their own blowout game in Game 2 to tie the series.
Kelly Williams Kelly Williams (born February 7, 1982) is a Filipino-American professional basketball player for the TNT Tropang 5G in the PBA. He played collegiate basketball at Oakland University, an NCAA Division I school in the United States, and he als ...
' dunk at the end of Game 2 was criticized by Alaska coach
Tim Cone Earl Timothy Cone (born December 14, 1957) is an American professional basketball coach who leads Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and the Philippine men's national team. He is the most accomplished coa ...
as a "lack of class". With her
Cebu Cebu ( ; ), officially the Province of Cebu (; ), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. The coastal zone of Cebu is identified as a ...
ana mother watching, Williams had a 27-point explosion to pull the Realtors ahead, 2-1. Alaska then turned their offensive game going in Game 4 to tie the series with a 90-83 Game 4 win, leading by as much as 26 points in some stages before the Realtors staged a comeback to cut the lead to two points. Reigning
MVP MVP most commonly refers to: * Most valuable player, an award, typically for the best performing player in a sport or competition * Minimum viable product, a concept for feature estimating used in business and engineering MVP may also refer to: ...
Willie Miller William Ferguson Miller MBE (born 2 May 1955) is a Scottish former professional football player and manager, who made a club record 560 league appearances for Aberdeen. Sir Alex Ferguson described Miller as "the best penalty box defender in th ...
converted three-pointers when the Sta. Lucia came close as he matched Williams' Game 3 output of 27 points to lead all scorers. The pattern of early blowouts then a furious comeback continued as Sta. Lucia held off Alaska to lead the series, 3-2. Veteran Paolo Mendoza relived his collegiate days as he scored 19 points mostly in the early going.
John Ferriols Hubert John B. Ferriols (born September 9, 1974 in Davao City, Philippines) is a Filipino professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Mindoro Tamaraws of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). Fer ...
and sophomore
Aaron Aban Aaron Abril Galarrita Aban (born April 8, 1982) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Sta. Rosa Laguna Lions of the Pilipinas Super League. Born in Cagayan de Oro, he graduated his high school at Liceo de Cagayan University and ...
then led another comeback by the Aces to cut down the lead to two. Alaska's
Jeffrey Cariaso Jeffrey Joaquin Cariaso (born September 12, 1972) is a Filipino-American professional basketball coach and former player. He is the head coach of the Blackwater Bossing of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He also played for variou ...
was ejected from the game after he was assessed with two
technical foul In basketball, a technical foul (colloquially known as a "T" or a "tech") is any infraction of the rules penalized as a foul which does not involve physical contact during the course of play between opposing players on the court, or is a foul by a ...
s that led to a cold period between the two teams in the final 6 minutes. With the score unchanged, Willie Miller converted a three-point play to tie at 90-all but the Realtors then scored the last 5 points of the game to put them one step closer to their first All-Filipino conference finals stint. Like Red Bull, Alaska blew out their Game 6, with Miller and
Tony dela Cruz Anthony Bryan Davis dela Cruz (born August 24, 1978) is a Filipino-American former professional basketball player and coach. He played majority of his career for the Alaska Aces of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), where he also serv ...
each scoring more 20 points with 4 others reaching double figures. However, like Red Bull, they were closed out by the #2 seeds as the Realtors pounded on the end game, with
Dennis Miranda Dennis Ellera "Denok" Miranda (born July 14, 1982), is a Filipino professional basketball coach and former player. He is the head coach for the FEU Tamaraws. He played majority of his career in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He was ...
nailing the trey that put the game out reach.HISTORY ANEW FOR STA. LUCIA
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The franchise qualifies for their first ever All-Filipino conference finals stint.


Third place playoff


Finals


Broadcast notes

The
Associated Broadcasting Company TV5 Network Inc., commonly referred to as TV5, is a Philippine media company headquartered in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila. It primarily operates in radio and television broadcasting and manages several subsidiaries and affiliates in various me ...
broadcast all of the games in Philippine TV. Their finals broadcasters are: Furthermore, the
ABS-CBN News Channel The ABS-CBN News Channel, commonly known as ANC, is a 24/7 Philippine pay television news channel. It was launched in 1996 as the first all-news network in English language. The majority of its programs are produced by ABS-CBN News and Curre ...
carried the finals live overseas. Sports Radio 918 carried the games live on AM radio. Featured songs include " How Far We've Come" by
Matchbox Twenty Matchbox Twenty (stylized as Matchbox 20) is an American rock band formed in Orlando, Florida, in 1995. The group currently consists of Rob Thomas (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Brian Yale (bass guitar), Paul Doucette (drums, rhythm guit ...
and "
Shadow of the Day "Shadow of the Day" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. The song was released as the third single from their third studio album, ''Minutes to Midnight'', on October 16, 2007. The first public performance of "Shadow of the Day" was durin ...
" by
Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn, bass ...
.


Awards

*Finals Most Valuable Player:
Dennis Espino Dennis Espino (born December 20, 1973) is a Filipino retired professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association. He was drafted first overall by Sta. Lucia in 1995 PBA draft. Player Profile Espino is known for his physical ...
(Sta. Lucia) *Best Player of the Conference:
Kelly Williams Kelly Williams (born February 7, 1982) is a Filipino-American professional basketball player for the TNT Tropang 5G in the PBA. He played collegiate basketball at Oakland University, an NCAA Division I school in the United States, and he als ...
(Sta. Lucia) *Players of the Week: **October 14–21:
James Yap James Carlos Agravante Yap Sr. (born February 15, 1982) is a Filipino professional basketball player who last played for the Blackwater Bossing of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Known by his nickname Big Game James, he is widel ...
(Purefoods) **October 22–28:
Junthy Valenzuela Junthy Valenzuela (born June 5, 1979) is a Filipino former basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), a former Red Bull Barako player. He was automatically pulled by Red Bull directly from the Philippine Basketball League. ...
(Red Bull) **October 29 – November 4:
Willie Miller William Ferguson Miller MBE (born 2 May 1955) is a Scottish former professional football player and manager, who made a club record 560 league appearances for Aberdeen. Sir Alex Ferguson described Miller as "the best penalty box defender in th ...
(Alaska) **November 5–11:
Froilan Baguion Froilan C. Baguion (born March 7, 1980) is a Filipino former professional basketball player . He was signed by Welcoat of the Philippine Basketball Association in 2006 after not being drafted in the 2006 PBA draft. College career Baguion was ...
(Welcoat) **November 12–18:
Lordy Tugade Lordy Tugade (born December 30, 1977, in Alaminos, Pangasinan) is a Filipino retired professional basketball player. He last played for the Powerade Tigers in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Known as the Alaminos Assassin for his ...
(Magnolia) and
Nic Belasco Nicholas M. Bayaca Belasco (born December 10, 1973) is a Filipino-American professional basketball player who last played for the Pasig Sta. Lucia Realtors of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). He was drafted 2nd overall by Sunki ...
(Welcoat) **November 19–25:
James Yap James Carlos Agravante Yap Sr. (born February 15, 1982) is a Filipino professional basketball player who last played for the Blackwater Bossing of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Known by his nickname Big Game James, he is widel ...
(Purefoods, 2nd time) and
Junthy Valenzuela Junthy Valenzuela (born June 5, 1979) is a Filipino former basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), a former Red Bull Barako player. He was automatically pulled by Red Bull directly from the Philippine Basketball League. ...
(Red Bull, 2nd time) **November 26 – December 2:
Jeffrey Cariaso Jeffrey Joaquin Cariaso (born September 12, 1972) is a Filipino-American professional basketball coach and former player. He is the head coach of the Blackwater Bossing of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He also played for variou ...
(Alaska) and Asi Taulava (Coca-Cola) **December 3–9:
Kelly Williams Kelly Williams (born February 7, 1982) is a Filipino-American professional basketball player for the TNT Tropang 5G in the PBA. He played collegiate basketball at Oakland University, an NCAA Division I school in the United States, and he als ...
(Sta. Lucia) **December 10–16: Asi Taulava (Coca-Cola, 2nd time) **December 17–23:
Ryan Reyes Ryan Jay Reyes (born August 10, 1983) is a Filipino-American professional basketball player for TNT Tropang 5G of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Nicknamed D-Energizer for his energetic style of play, he was drafted third overall by ...
(Sta. Lucia; rookie) **December 24–30:
Sunday Salvacion Sunday Salvacion (born December 17, 1978) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. He played the small forward and shooting guard positions. Salvacion played college basketball for the De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) ...
(Brgy. Ginebra) **December 31 – January 6:
James Yap James Carlos Agravante Yap Sr. (born February 15, 1982) is a Filipino professional basketball player who last played for the Blackwater Bossing of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Known by his nickname Big Game James, he is widel ...
(Purefoods, 3rd time) and
Kelly Williams Kelly Williams (born February 7, 1982) is a Filipino-American professional basketball player for the TNT Tropang 5G in the PBA. He played collegiate basketball at Oakland University, an NCAA Division I school in the United States, and he als ...
(Sta. Lucia, 2nd time) **January 7–13:
Nelbert Omolon Nelbert "Bitoy" Omolon (born June 30, 1980) is a Filipino former professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He was drafted 8th overall in the 2004 PBA draft. Early years The youngest of three boys, Omolon was ...
(Sta. Lucia) **January 14–20: Asi Taulava (Coca-Cola, 3rd time) and
Mark Telan Mark Clemence Telan (born January 12, 1976) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. He last played for the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters in the Philippine Basketball Association. A former De La Salle Green Archer, he was 2-time UAAP ...
(Coca-Cola) **January 21–27:
Willie Miller William Ferguson Miller MBE (born 2 May 1955) is a Scottish former professional football player and manager, who made a club record 560 league appearances for Aberdeen. Sir Alex Ferguson described Miller as "the best penalty box defender in th ...
(Alaska, 2nd time) **January 28 – February 3:
Kelly Williams Kelly Williams (born February 7, 1982) is a Filipino-American professional basketball player for the TNT Tropang 5G in the PBA. He played collegiate basketball at Oakland University, an NCAA Division I school in the United States, and he als ...
(Sta. Lucia, 3rd time) and
Junthy Valenzuela Junthy Valenzuela (born June 5, 1979) is a Filipino former basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), a former Red Bull Barako player. He was automatically pulled by Red Bull directly from the Philippine Basketball League. ...
(Red Bull, 3rd time) **February 4–10:
James Yap James Carlos Agravante Yap Sr. (born February 15, 1982) is a Filipino professional basketball player who last played for the Blackwater Bossing of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Known by his nickname Big Game James, he is widel ...
(Purefoods, 4th time)


Stats leaders


References


External links


PBA.ph
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