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    It's been 25 years since the last Manila Clasico in PBA Finals

    Time for another one?
    Mar 22, 2022
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    IT'S been 25 years since the Ginebra and Purefoods franchises met in a PBA Finals, but former Hotdogs guard Bong Ravena still has a vivid recollection of that All-Filipino Conference championship series.

    "Parang Purefoods versus the Philippines," Ravena, now an assistant coach at TNT, said of that PBA Finals against the Robert Jaworski and his band of crowd favorites. "One of the most memorable championships."

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      Jaworski and Co.'s legion of fans may have outnumbered the Hotdogs' supporters, but Purefoods - then still owned by the Ayalas - had the last laugh by winning the series, 4-2, behind the 42-point performance of Alvin Patrimonio in Game Six.

      Believe it or not, there were only two Purefoods-Ginebra battles in the PBA's 47-year history, and both happened before the two clubs became sister teams and long before the face-offs evolved into the 'Manila Clasico' in a nod to La Liga's premier rivalry.

      [A bit of history: It wasn't until 2001 that the two rivals became sister teams when Purefoods was acquired by San Miguel Corp., making its PBA franchise the third under the SMC umbrella joining Ginebra and San Miguel Beer.]

      Ginebra won the first finals face-off between the two rivals, 3-1, in the 1988 All-Filipino Conference in a series that was remembered more for Jaworski's former teammate turned rival, Mon Fernandez, being benched in the finals.

      Dindo Pumaren and Noli Locsin in Ginebra-Purefoods finals.

      The second finale turned out to be just as memorable, especially for a former UP Maroons guard named Eric Altamirano who, just months after stepping up to replace Chot Reyes as Purefoods, led the Hotdogs to a championship.

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      "Memorable, for sure," said Altamirano now of the 4-2 Purefoods victory over then Gordon's Gin in the 1997 All-Filipino Conference Finals that made him the youngest champion coach in the PBA and the first to win a title in his debut tournament.

      Altamirano can't believe the rivalry has grown to become the biggest in the pro league, no Ginebra-Purefoods finals has happened since.

      Until now, perhaps?

      The mere thought that a Clasico finals could happen in this Governors' Cup is getting fans started, based on the feedback they give on social media ahead of the semifinals pitting Ginebra against NLEX and Magnolia [formerly Purefoods] against Meralco.

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      Magnolia 99-2) is the top seed and playing its best basketball under coach Chito Victolero, making the Hotshots the slight favorites over Meralco. Ginebra had a pedestrian elims 6-5 (win-loss) campaign but looked as if it is peaking in time for its best-of-five semifinal against NLEX.

      Considering over 12,000 fans showed up at the Smart Araneta Coliseum to watch Ginebra put away twice-to-beat TNT on Saturday, a bigger venue, say the Philippine Arena in Bulacan, may be needed for a Manila Clasico finals, don't you think?

      "I don't even want to go that far," said PBA commissioner Willie Marcial, declining to comment lest he risk accusations that the league of helping make such a dream showdown happen.

      But it won't hurt inquiring about Philippine Arena reservations this early, right?

      Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph

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