Lito Alvarez, team manager and Air21’s representative to the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) board, was visibly ecstatic after the Express survived a late charge by the Welcoat Dragons for a 91-87 victory on Wednesday.

“This is historic for us and the franchise,” Air21 coach Bo Perasol told sportswriters during a postgame interview.

Their 10th win in 16 games in the elimination round propelled the Express to the top of the 2008 Smart-PBA Fiesta Cup and presents encouraging possibilities to their playoff campaign.

As things stand, the Express should easily land among the top five teams and advance outright to the playoffs.

But Perasol confessed their mindset at the moment is to clinch the top seed or finish No.2 at the least. The top two seeds earn outright passage to the semifinals, plus the luxury of a two-week rest.

So, with two games remaining in their schedule, Perasol is pushing his troops to the limit—if that’s what it takes—to get the job done.

Certainly, it won’t be easy.

Standing in the way of the Express are no less than the Magnolia Beverage Masters, a team aching for vengeance and also aspiring to make the Final Four via the short route.

The Air21-Magnolia rematch is set at 7:20 p.m. at the Araneta Coliseum. It follows the 4:50 p.m. encounter between Red Bull (9-6) and Welcoat (4-12).

Air21 and Magnolia faced each other on May 21 with the Express walking away victorious at the end of the fiercely fought match, 97-90.

Magnolia coach Siot Tanquingcen said the rematch will be played with a playoff atmosphere.   

“It’s going to be great playing in a playoff atmosphere. The standings are too close for comfort so every possession really counts,” Tanquingcen said.

Magnolia has been playing impressive ball lately. It won four of its last five games, including tough wins against Sta. Lucia and Coca-Cola.

“We have to find a way to minimize their wingmen. If we can do that, we have a good chance. Obviously, the offensive involvement of Steven Thomas would also help us a lot,” Perasol said.

Three-conference format on hold

THE PBA has decided not to delve too much on a suggestion to revert to the three-conference format, or at least until after it hears the piece of the Basketball Association of the Philippines-Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (BAP-SBP) on how it would involve the pro league in major international competitions.

League commissioner Sonny Barrios told the BusinessMirror that the board appeared “cautious” about the three-conference format which he presented during the PBA board’s regular meeting Tuesday at the league’s office in Libis, Quezon City.

“The board wants to hear first the side of [BAP-SBP] executive director [Noli] Eala kung ano ang magiging involvement ng PBA internationally. Sabi ko naman, this is just an advanced information to [think] about,” said Barrios.

Barrios and Eala, whom he replaced as commissioner, will meet later this week to determine how the PBA could be involved in the program of the BAP-SBP.

“We would like to give director Eala time to study first the calendar [of major international events] dahil kauupo lang niya sa SBP,” Barrios added. “Kaya ‘yung proposal na three-conference format, tentative pa as of this time.”

The PBA adopted the two-conference format during Eala’s term as commissioner in 2004 to conform to international basketball and local collegiate leagues’ calendars. But the immediate concern then was to hone a team of PBA players in the country’s effort to qualify for the Beijing Olympics. The goal, however, was too much for the all-pro RP team.

Barrios mulled over a return to the three-conference calendar, with the first conference, an All-Filipino, starting this October and ending in January 2009.

There will then be two import-laced conferences under his proposal—the first from February 22 to May 27 and the second to cap the 2008-09 season from June 14 to September 4.

Barrios said the PBA governors probably felt a three-conference format would lead to a saturation of the PBA market and that the fatigue factor could set into the players.

In the same meeting, the PBA signed a memorandum of understanding with the new television coveror Solar Sports. It also extended the contract of The Filipino Channel to three and a half years as the league’s official carrier of the games overseas.

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Air21 wants to take fortunes further

Lito Alvarez, team manager and Air21’s representative to the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) board, was visibly ecstatic after the Express survived a late charge by the Welcoat Dragons for a 91-87 victory on Wednesday.

DESPITE all the politics in Philippine basketball, there are a lot of things to watch out for particularly when it comes to the development of new basketball players for the future.

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