MERALCO coach Ryan Gregorio is of the belief that with the window of opportunity fast closing on Barangay Ginebra, the most popular ballclub in the entire Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) may just be able to pull off another stunner in the ongoing Philippine Cup playoffs.

Gregorio, winner of three championships while still calling the shots for the then-Purefoods TJ
Hotdogs, said the sense of urgency by the Kings to win a championship behind this solid but aging core could serve as a major factor in their best-of-seven semifinal series with the second seeded San Miguel Beermen.

Two-time league Most Valuable Player (MVP) Willie Miller, Mark Caguioa, 2008-09 MVP JayJay
Helterbrand, Rudy Hatfield, Eric Menk, Billy Mamaril, Enrico Villanueva and Willie Wilson are all in their 30s and may be staring at their best possible shot of winning the highly-coveted All-Filipino championship.

“My gut feel tells me that Ginebra has the edge. Their players are primed to win it now, and I am sure that they know that their warriors are not getting any younger,” said Gregorio on the eve of the Kings-Beermen series opener, a rematch of their 2008-09 Philippine Cup Finals duel.

Air21 forward Nonoy Baclao, the top rookie pick for the year, however, sees San Miguel pulling this one off and making the Finals for the second straight conference. The Beermen, after all, have been a favorite team of this former Ateneo Blue Eagle ever since he was a kid.

“Fan ako ng San Miguel simula ng bata pa ako, kaya may kaunting bias,” he admitted. “San
Miguel will win in six games.”

Baclao saw for himself how potent the Beermen were, as his Air21 Express got the boot from the league’s winningest team in the quarterfinals, 97-75.

In contrast, the Kings rallied back from a 0-1 series deficit against the Alaska Aces to win their
best-of-three quarterfinal duel, capping it with a 79-70 win on Christmas Day in which Ginebra came back after trailing by as much as 20 points in the first half.

Unlike Ginebra counterpart Jong Uichico who thinks the Kings have a 50-50 chance of beating the Beermen should the series go the full route, Gregorio stressed a longer series would be to San Miguel’s favor.

Again age - and the health condition of Menk – is a prime factor that could against the Kings.

“I think Ginebra knows that it is now or never for them. Father time is fast catching up,”
Gregorio pointed out.

One thing that the Kings may take advantage of, according to the Meralco coach, is the battle of
the bench.

While Gregorio has nothing but praises for Ato Agustin, San Miguel’s rookie mentor, whom he said is ‘coaching as good as anybody in the PBA,’ he still prefers the proven tandem of Uichico and Siot Tanquingcen over at Ginebra.

“The Jong-Siot tandem had produced many championships together and in the playoffs, their vast experience could spell the difference,” he said of the duo which teamed up to give the Kings two titles in the past.

Tanquingcen likewise knows the Beermen like the palm of his hands as he steered the same team to the 2009 Fiesta Conference title and in the Finals of the same import-laden meet last year until he was replaced by Agustin in the off-season.

And so, who’s Gregorio picking to win?

“My fearless forecast: Ginebra in 5 games or San Miguel if it goes the distance (Games 6 or
7),” he said. (GR)