2007–08 PBA Philippine Cup finals

The 2007–08 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup finals is the best-of-7 championship series of the 2007–08 PBA Philippine Cup, and the conclusion of the conference's playoffs. The series is a best of seven affair and is the 94th championship disputed in the league. The teams competing are the second-seed Sta. Lucia Realtors and the first-seed Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants. The Realtors are in their first Philippine Cup finals stint.

2007–08 PBA Philippine Cup finals
TeamCoachWins
Sta. Lucia Realtors Boyet Fernandez 4
Purefoods TJ Giants Ryan Gregorio 3
DatesFebruary 15 – March 2, 2008
MVPDennis Espino
TelevisionABC
Radio networkRadyo PBA
Referees
Game 1:Calungcaguin, Herrera, Maurillo
Game 2:Cruz, Aldaba, Canizares
Game 3:Calungcaguin, Herrera, G. Ferrer
Game 4:Aldaba, Ferrer, Maurillo
Game 5:Aldaba, Montiel, Quilinguen
Game 6:Cruz, Montiel, Aldaba
Game 7:Cruz, Calungcaguin, Herrera
PBA Philippine Cup finals chronology
PBA finals chronology

Qualification

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Purefoods Sta. Lucia
Finished 12–6 (0.667) Elimination round Finished 12–6 (0.667) – 2nd
2–0 against Sta. Lucia – 1st Tiebreaker
Bye Wildcard phase Bye
Quarterfinals
Def. Red Bull Barako4–3 Semifinals Def. Alaska Aces4–3

Rosters

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Players Coaches
Pos. # POB Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From
F 3   Omolon, Nelbert 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Philippine Christian
G 8   Mendoza, Paolo 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) Philippines
C 9   Butel, Philip 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) UE
G 10   Reyes, Ryan 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Cal State Fullerton
C 13   Aquino, Marlou 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) Adamson
F 14   Daa, Dennis 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) Centro Escolar Las Piñas
F/C 16   Espino, Dennis (C) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) UST
G 18   Yeo, Joseph 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) De La Salle
F 19   Mamaclay, Melvin 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) Adamson
F 21   Williams, Kelly 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) Oakland
G 25   Bughao, Ronnie 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) San Beda
F 28   Gonzales, Norman 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) San Beda
G 32   Miranda, Dennis 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Far Eastern
G 40   Coronel, Christian 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) San Sebastian
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
  •   Adonis Tierra
  •   Cholo Martin
  •   Jaime Serrano, Jr

Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  •   Injured
Players Coaches
Pos. # POB Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From
G 1   Lanete, Chico 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Lyceum
C 5   Salvador, Jondan 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) St. Benilde
F/C 6   Rodriguez, Omanzie 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) Mapúa
F 7   Evangelista, Rey 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) UST
G 8   Simon, Peter June 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Mindanao
F 9   Sanz, Robert 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Philippine Christian
C 10   Adducul, Rommel 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) San Sebastian
G 13   Yap, Roger 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) USJ–R
F 15   Pingris, Marc 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) PSBA
G 18   Yap, James 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) UE
F 20   Larong, Ardy 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) USJ–R
F 21   Raymundo, Kerby (C) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) Letran
G 24   Cablay, Brandon   6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Vanguard
F 28   Yee, Richard 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) UST
G 40   Castillo, Noy 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) The Citadel
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  •   Injured

Series scoring summary

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Team Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5 Game 6 Game 7 Wins
Sta. Lucia 109 112 107 98 88 81 100 4
Purefoods 97 101 118 106 76 89 88 3
Venue Araneta Araneta Araneta Araneta Araneta Araneta Araneta

Games summary

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Game 1

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February 15
7:20 p.m.
Sta. Lucia Realtors 109, Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants 97
Scoring by quarter: 19–26, 27–29, 33–19, 30–23
Pts: Williams 24
Rebs: Williams 12
Asts: Reyes 5
Pts: J. Yap 22
Rebs: Pingris 11
Asts: R. Yap 4
Sta. Lucia leads series, 1–0
Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City
Referees: Calungcaguin, Herrera, Maurillo

Purefoods and SLR engaged in a battle of attrition in the first three quarters but the Realtors pulled away late in the third quarter. Thanks to defense that led into transition offense, Kelly Williams collected 14 of his game-high 24 points to outscore the Giants 30–23 in the fourth quarter to claim Game 1.[1]

Game 2

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February 17
6:30 p.m.
Sta. Lucia Realtors 112, Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants 101
Scoring by quarter: 28–26, 25–27, 28–28, 31–20
Pts: Williams 23
Rebs: Williams 11
Asts: Miranda 6
Pts: J. Yap 28
Rebs: Pingris 11
Asts: Raymundo 8
Sta. Lucia leads series, 2–0
Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City
Referees: Cruz, Aldaba, Canizares

Just like in Game 1, Purefoods and SLR fought a close game until the fourth quarter when Sta. Lucia's younger players led a 12–2 run to close out the game; Joseph Yeo scored 16 while Miranda added 14 plus 6 assists.[2]

Game 3

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February 20
7:00 p.m.
Sta. Lucia Realtors 107, Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants 118
Scoring by quarter: 26–28, 30–31, 24–27, 27–32
Pts: Yeo 22
Rebs: Williams 14
Asts: Yeo 3
Pts: J. Yap 27
Rebs: Adducul 10
Asts: Raymundo 6
Sta. Lucia leads series, 2–1
Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City
Referees: Calungcaguin, Herrera, G. Ferrer

Purefoods found their finishing kick in the fourth quarter to prevent a sweep of the championship series to clinch their first win. With Peter June Simon being the third scoring option, Simon led the Giants through the third quarter with his outside sniping. James Yap and Kerby Raymundo finished off Simon's work in the fourth quarter. Williams got cold in the payoff quarter that prevented SLR's comeback.[3]

Game 4

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February 22
7:00 p.m.
Sta. Lucia Realtors 98, Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants 106
Scoring by quarter: 28–27, 23–34, 37–22, 10–23
Pts: Omolon 19
Rebs: Williams 12
Asts: Miranda 9
Pts: J. Yap 32
Rebs: Adducul 13
Asts: Raymundo 5
Series tied, 2–2
Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City
Referees: Aldaba, Ferrer, Maurillo

Prior to the game, Kelly Williams was awarded with the Best Player of the Conference Award, beating out Kerby Raymundo of Purefoods, Willie Miller of Alaska, Asi Taulava of Coca-Cola and Arwind Santos of Air21. Williams is the first Realtor to win the award[4]

However, the award has a jinx in which the awardee will lose the game in which he was awarded. Sta. Lucia tried to prevent that as they led by a point after the first quarter in which Raymundo and Pingris were assessed with two technical fouls each due to excessive complaining. Purefoods led by 10 thanks to a buzzer-beater by Roger Yap when the shot clock expired prior to half-time. Sta. Lucia closed the gap in the third quarter thanks to Nelbert Omolon's and Dennis Miranda's three-point shooting.

With the two teams exchanging turnovers at the fourth quarter, the Giants seized the initiative when James Yap scored 4 points in the last 2:03 to break the last deadlock at 95-all; Yap scored a conference-high 32 points. Purefoods managed to hold on to tie the series 2–2.[5]

Game 5

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February 24
6:30 p.m.
Sta. Lucia Realtors 88, Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants 76
Scoring by quarter: 15–19, 22–20, 25–11, 26–26
Pts: Williams 20
Rebs: Williams 16
Asts: Aquino, Miranda 4
Pts: Raymundo 20
Rebs: Pingris 9
Asts: Raymundo 7
Sta. Lucia leads series, 3–2
Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City
Referees: Aldaba, Montiel, Quilinguen

With both Yeo and Yap suspended, the two teams had less options for offense which led to the lowest scoring first quarter of the series. Purefoods opened the game on a better note, however, when they led by as much as 11 points in the first half.

The Realtors crept back into the game thanks to points off Purefoods' turnovers. Simon got cold and Raymundo had a tough time against SLR's zone defense. With Sta. Lucia erecting a double-digit lead, Purefoods managed to cut to seven but Chico Lanete's turnover in a fastbreak attempt ended the Giants' hopes of a comeback.

SLR had good games from veterans Dennis Espino and Paolo Mendoza who stepped up in Yeo's absence.[6]

Game 6

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February 27
7:00 p.m.
Sta. Lucia Realtors 81, Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants 89
Scoring by quarter: 15–22, 15–18, 29–17, 22–32
Pts: Espino 22
Rebs: Williams 17
Asts: Miranda 5
Pts: J. Yap 30
Rebs: Pingris 21
Asts: Raymundo 11
Series tied, 3–3
Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City
Referees: Cruz, Montiel, Aldaba

Both Yeo and Yap returned from the suspensions in the pivotal Game 6; the TJ Giants are on a do-or-die situation while the Realtors can clinch the title with a win.

The teams took the opening quarter strong but Purefoods pulled away after a tight first few minutes. SLR caught up with them at the second quarter but thanks to Purefoods' rebounding, they inflated their lead by up to ten points at half-time.

The Realtors stepped their offense on the third quarter, even leading at some points. But James Yap scored 20 of his 30 teams in the payoff period to lead Purefoods into a Game 7. Williams had a lackluster offensive game although he grabbed 17 rebounds; but it was Marc Pingris who grabbed the most boards, with a series high 21 rebounds.[7]

Game 7

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March 2
6:30 p.m.
Sta. Lucia Realtors 100, Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants 88
Scoring by quarter: 18–21, 26–24, 27–25, 29–18
Pts: Espino 29
Rebs: Williams 15
Asts: Yeo 5
Pts: Simon 27
Rebs: Pingris 13
Asts: R. Yap 4
Sta. Lucia wins series, 4–3
Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City
Attendance: 18,167
Referees: Cruz, Calungcaguin, Herrera

With the Araneta Coliseum unavailable for February 29 due to a Ne-Yo concert, the final game was conducted on March 2. YouTube singing sensation Charice Pempengco sang the national anthem prior the game.

Sta. Lucia started with a 6–1 blast but Purefoods caught up with them and took the lead at the end of the first quarter. Sta. Lucia and the TJ Giants kept it close as neither team led by more than double figures by half-time. When the third quarter started, Sta. Lucia ignited a run that saw their lead reach 10 points; Simon then led the comeback for Purefoods as the Giants caught up once again to arrange a close fourth quarter.

The game was close until the seven-minute mark when Ryan Reyes scored a three-point field goal; James Yap, not to be outdone, shot a trey but it rattled out of rim. The #1 draft pick on the 1995 PBA Draft Dennis Espino then led the 13–2 run as Purefoods' outside shots rattled in-and-out of the rim for a Sta. Lucia pull-away. Giants coach Ryan Gregorio used up all of his timeouts but the Realtors managed to convert their inside jumpers. Espino scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to prevent a Purefoods incursion to assure the Sta. Lucia franchise their first Philippine Cup championship and their second championship overall. Espino was adjudged as the finals MVP.[8]

2007–08 Philippine Cup Champions

Sta. Lucia Realtors
Second title

Finals Most Valuable Player

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Statistics

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Scoring by quarter
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total
Purefoods 169 183 149 174 675
Sta. Lucia 149 168 203 175 695

Purefoods

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Name GP 2FG% 3FG% FG% FT% Reb Ast TO Stl Blk Fls Pts
Rommel Adducul 7 57.1 -- 57.1 55.6 8.4 0.3 1.5 0.14 0.57 3.6 5.6
Noy Castillo 6 50.0 35.7 38.9 50.0 1.6 0.8 0.6 0.00 0.00 2.4 4.4
Rey Evangelista 3 77.8 100.0 80.0 0.00 3.7 0.0 0.3 0.33 0.00 2.0 5.7
Chico Lanete 6 29.4 36.4 32.1 75.0 1.7 0.6 1.6 0.57 0.00 1.4 3.6
Ardy Larong 4 0.0 50.0 33.3 50.0 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.00 0.25 2.5 1.0
Marc Pingris 7 54.5 -- 54.5 73.9 11.6 0.9 1.7 0.29 1.43 4.3 9.3
Kerby Raymundo 7 44.1 14.3 38.6 86.7 8.0 6.0 3.6 0.71 1.00 3.6 18.6
Omanzie Rodriguez 2 60.0 -- 60.0 100.0 0.8 0.2 0.2 0.20 0.00 0.4 2.0
Jondan Salvador 7 53.3 -- 53.3 50.0 4.4 0.2 1.2 0.40 0.00 3.6 3.4
Robert Sanz 4 66.7 25.0 52.2 81.8 0.3 0.0 0.8 0.17 0.00 2.0 1.6
Peter June Simon 7 48.1 33.3 41.4 74.4 2.4 0.6 1.3 0.14 0.00 2.6 18.4
James Yap 6 43.9 32.3 40.2 70.6 4.3 2.2 2.7 0.17 0.83 2.7 20.7
Roger Yap 7 51.4 30.0 46.7 66.7 4.8 2.3 1.7 1.00 0.50 2.8 8.8
Richard Yee 2 -- -- -- -- 1.0 0.0 1.5 0.00 0.00 3.0 0.0

Sta. Lucia

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Name GP 2FG% 3FG% FG% FT% Reb Ast TO Stl Blk Fls Pts
Marlou Aquino 6 41.7 0.0 40.8 50.0 3.6 1.4 1.9 0.14 0.43 1.9 7.0
Philip Butel 1 -- -- -- 50.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.00 0.00 0.0 1.0
Christian Coronel 5 66.7 0.0 28.6 -- 0.6 0.8 0.4 0.40 0.00 2.2 0.8
Dennis Daa 6 44.4 100.0 47.4 77.8 3.2 0.0 0.7 0.17 0.17 2.5 4.3
Dennis Espino 7 61.2 0.0 56.9 80.0 4.0 1.0 2.1 0.00 0.71 3.0 16.3
Norman Gonzales 7 44.4 40.0 42.1 69.2 1.6 0.0 0.0 0.29 0.00 2.1 4.1
Melvin Mamaclay 1 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0 3.0 2.0 1.0 0.00 0.00 2.0 2.0
Paolo Mendoza 6 44.4 36.4 40.0 58.3 1.6 2.0 0.1 0.71 0.00 2.3 6.7
Dennis Miranda 7 45.9 50.0 46.3 83.3 2.9 4.0 1.6 0.86 0.14 3.4 9.3
Nelbert Omolon 7 56.3 44.4 53.0 58.3 4.0 0.7 2.4 0.86 0.86 4.6 13.1
Ryan Reyes 7 37.0 15.8 30.8 90.5 6.9 2.3 1.1 1.57 0.14 3.4 8.9
Kelly Williams 7 37.0 15.8 30.8 58.5 10.4 2.3 2.0 0.71 0.43 2.4 15.3
Joseph Yeo 6 50.0 36.8 45.5 79.4 3.3 2.0 1.5 0.38 0.00 1.9 14.0

Broadcast notes

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Game Play-by-play Analyst Coach's Corner Courtside Reporters
Game 1 Ed Picson Quinito Henson Norman Black Dominic Uy and Paolo Trillo
Game 2 Mico Halili Jason Webb Norman Black Patricia Bermudez-Hizon
Game 3 Mico Halili Rado Dimalibot Norman Black Dominic Uy and Paolo Trillo
Game 4 Ed Picson Quinito Henson Norman Black Magoo Marjon and Patricia Bermudez-Hizon
Game 5 Ed Picson Quinito Henson Norman Black Dominic Uy and Paolo Trillo
Game 6 Mico Halili Jason Webb Norman Black Richard del Rosario, Dominic Uy, Eric Reyes, Paolo Trillo and Marga Vargas
Game 7 Richard del Rosario Jason Webb Norman Black Dominic Uy, Eric Reyes and Marga Vargas

Suspensions and other issues

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James Yap suspension

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With Game 3 already decided, James Yap committed a flagrant foul (penalty 1) against Joseph Yeo. Yeo was driving to the basket when he passed the ball to a teammate; after that, Yap slapped Yeo in the face to mete a flagrant foul. Commissioner Sonny Barrios suspended Yap for a game and fined the 2005–06 MVP P20,000. Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio remarked it as a "damning decision" while Realtors coach Boyet Fernandez said it was a "big boost" for his team. Yap served his suspension at Game 5 since notification to Gregorio arrived in the late evening.

In a related event, Purefoods alternate governor Rene Pardo resigned as chairman of the PBA ethics committee as a direct offshoot of the team’s disgruntlement on the way Barrios handled the James Yap case. Pardo said that, Barrios, who suspended Yap on the same day the commissioner met with some top Sta. Lucia officials at the EDSA Shangri-la Hotel, "the timing was awful. It should have been with some sense of propriety that the lunch offer was turned down." Barrios on his part didn't see anything wrong with the lunch meeting since the meeting was done at a public place.

Meanwhile, San Miguel Corporation pulled out their ads from the Associated Broadcasting Company (ABC)'s TV coverage. No reason was given. The league's technical head, Perry Martinez, went on an indefinite leave of absence after voicing his disagreement over Yap's suspension, due to "health issues."

Joseph Yeo suspension

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With SLR on a fouling spree to conserve time on Game 4, Yeo committed a flagrant foul (penalty 2) when he hit Noy Castillo in the face. Yeo and Castillo then had a shouting spree before Castillo missed his two free throws. This would assure that Yeo will miss Game 5 along with James Yap.

Preceded by PBA Philippine Cup finals
2007–08
Succeeded by

References

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