106-897: Manila Clasico refers to the rivalry between the two most popular professional basketball teams in the Philippines today, the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and the Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots , both owned by San Miguel Corporation . The former represents the Ginebra San Miguel franchise while the latter carries the San Miguel Pure Foods franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). The two teams have won
212-649: A 3–1 series lead. In Game Five, they were about to score a winning basket after a Gordon's turnover. But Vince Hizon blocked Dindo Pumaren's layup, as the Boars lived another day. Unfortunately, in Game Six, the strong performance of Alvin Patrimonio and company denied Gordon's a title losing the series 4–2. The loss marked Jaworski's (player-coach) last game with the La Tondeña franchise and did not enter himself in
318-574: A 7-footer applying for the draft ." Unfortunately, misfortunes still struck the team as Ginebra won only 5 of the 30 games played that year, capped by a 0–10 win–loss record during the Governors' Cup. The worst season triggered rumors that the Gins was disbanding. But the rumor was quickly killed off after the team posted a printed advertisement in major newspapers that they were staying in the PBA. Ginebra got
424-444: A big 19-point third quarter lead and bowing down to their nemesis once more, 114–110. This game marked the first time Alvin Patrimonio played against a Ginebra squad. In yet another memorable game, Purefoods overcame a 102–106 deficit with 51 seconds remaining to win the game, 109–106, on an amazing 7–0 run. The game, played on August 18, 1988, garnered a phenomenal 53.1 percent share of television viewers. The two franchises battled for
530-429: A big man emerged and became one of Crispa's greatest assets. He was already a good rebounder but later developed a strong inside game complemented with accurate off-the-glass jumpers from the perimeter. He was also one of the earliest dunkers in the PBA making the slam dunk vogue in the league a decade before the arrival of highflyers like Samboy Lim , Paul "Bong" Alvarez, Vergel Meneses and Nelson Asaytono . He also had
636-436: A big post move. But nowadays James hits a big shot... Well, I guess, Manila Clasico, it should come down to the last possession. And it did today. It came down to a James Yap three-point shot.” For San Mig Coffee Team Governor Rene Pardo, Yap is the face of the PBA, representing what Jaworski was to the pro league in the seventies and eighties, and Patrimonio in the nineties. So far in their respective careers, Yap has been named
742-415: A closed-fist foul against center Rafi Reavis of San Mig Super Coffee. Only a regular foul was called against Baracael, which allowed him to play the do-or-die Game 6 for his team. In Game 6, former Ginebra playing-coach and legend Robert Jaworski fired up the players of his former team when he visited the locker room at halftime. Ginebra rallied from a double-digit first half deficit to win the game and force
848-474: A controversial one-point win over the import-less Purefoods squad. The Hotdogs’ import Dexter Shouse bolted the team a day before the all-important playoff game for the last finals berth of the season's Third Conference. On November 8, 1990, Jaworski committed a punching foul on Purefoods import Robert Paul Rose when he let go of a flying elbow with seconds left of an already won ballgame by the Hotdogs. Jaworski
954-447: A deciding Game 7. But in the do-or-die match, San Mig's starting backcourt duo of Yap and Simon dropped 30 and 28 points, respectively, to finally put away their rivals. San Mig , which struggled early in the tournament starting with a 1-5 record, once again eliminated Barangay Ginebra, which even topped the elimination round. The Mixers went on to win the championship, and later, became the season's Grand Slam winner. In 2011, Tim Cone,
1060-406: A furious comeback to force a seventh game. In the final seconds of Game 7, an off-balanced shot by Rudy Distrito with a second remaining sealed Ginebra's third PBA title and completed the greatest comeback in PBA history. Ginebra placed third in the 1992 Reinforced Conference. But at that time, the team was starting to fade. In the 1993 pre-season, the Gins were given the second overall pick in
1166-453: A future 1st round pick. During the conference, Tanquingcen used a three guard combination line-up of Santos, Helterbrand and Caguioa which enabled the team to have a running game. It was during this time that the backcourt tandem of Helterbrand and Caguioa became known as The Fast and The Furious in reference to their running game and to the movie of the same name. Abet Guidaben Alberto " Abet " Guidaben (born September 14, 1952)
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#17327983065211272-481: A game since. In the Commissioner's Cup, NBA veteran Chris King became a replacement in time for the semis of the tournament. Gordon's met sister-team San Miguel in an elimination semifinal match. It was a true classic game that went to double overtime. The Boars were down by five in the dying seconds of regulation then came back to tie the game and win it double overtime period. The Boars won, 106–100, in what
1378-480: A great rivalry with Toyota 's Fernandez which was considered a classic in itself. He won MVP honors in 1983 while with Crispa and 1987 while with San Miguel Beer . In 2000, he was named as one of the PBA's 25 greatest players of all-time in elaborate awards ceremonies that highlighted the 25th anniversary of the league. After his retirement, he went into the construction business, and in 2003, he migrated to New Jersey in
1484-467: A knockout game, winning the first game. In the decider, the Kings came back from a 20-point deficit and David's off-balance game-winner resulted in one of the biggest upsets in league history to advance to the next round. Taulava was even seen crying in disappointment after the game when he failed to stop the smaller but quicker David. In the semis, they were eliminated by eventual champion Formula Shell that
1590-416: A lot of name changes from Purefoods Hotdogs, Coney Island Ice Cream Stars, Purefoods Oodles, Purefoods Chunkee Giants, Purefoods Corned Beef Cowboys, Purefoods Carne Norte Beefies, Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs, B-Meg Llamados, to San Mig Coffee Mixers, to Purefoods Star Hotshots, and to Magnolia Hotshots. All of those players who started the rivalry were also gone. The team names and the faces have changed but
1696-467: A punch on Lastimosa in retaliation on a previous play where he got tripped by Lastimosa. Another memorable game was the one played on October 24, 1989. The game, which featured the team exchanging rallies throughout the first three quarters, went down the wire until the Hotdogs lost focus in the final two minutes. Purefoods coach Baby Dalupan was furious after the game, blaming the referees over faulty officiating. On November 21, 1989, Ginebra showed one of
1802-525: A total of 29 championships: the Ginebra franchise have 15, and the Purefoods franchise have 14. However, as of the end of the 2022–23 PBA season , the Ginebra and Purefoods franchises have only met in the finals twice in the 32 seasons they have been together in the league. Head-to-head, they have an even PBA finals record, 1–1. While the rivalry traces all the way back to the 1980s, the name by which it
1908-409: A twice-to-beat advantage. The Kings were able to defeat the Hotdogs twice to enter the semifinals. Both games were won by a single point (77–76, 70–69). In the first game, it was Vergel Meneses who hit the game-winning layup for Ginebra with eight seconds left. Ronald Magtulis was the hero of the second game after he nailed a fallaway jumper off a miss by Bal David with 1.2 ticks left. A year before
2014-525: A two conference set-up with a special transitional tournament known as 2004 PBA Fiesta Conference was held to bridge the transition between the 2003 and 2004–05 PBA seasons. As the league made significant changes so did the team which made the Kings more competitive. Caidic was moved to the position of team manager and former San Miguel assistant coach Siot Tanquingcen became head coach. The team also traded Limpot and Rob Johnson to Purefoods for Andy Seigle and Rodney Santos via Sta. Lucia , which received
2120-578: Is a Filipino former professional basketball player in the PBA . He was part of the fabled Crispa Redmanizers ballclub that won two Grand Slams , in 1976 and 1983. He was a two-time PBA Most Valuable Player awardee in 1983 and 1987 . Guidaben started his career with the Agoho ( Mambajao, Camiguin ) Pirates and the University of San Jose - Recoletos . Then in 1973, he became part of the Crispa team in
2226-418: Is considered their longest playoff game to clinch the second finals berth. In the finals , Gordon's Gin eventually defeated Alaska in six games for the 1997 PBA Commissioner's Cup trophy, their first title in six years. This was their 4th over-all title and the last under Jaworski. Aquino was named Finals MVP. During this time, Jaworski thanked Gordon's fans for their support. Expectations were high for
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#17327983065212332-598: Is now well-known only came up in 2012, when online sports editor Jaemark Tordecilla called the Ginebra-Purefoods rivalry as the Philippine basketball equivalent of the El Clásico football rivalry between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona . Tordecilla said that the rivalry “has been one of Philippine sports’ most underrated phenomena, because media has rarely hyped up the matchup” before. But the popularity of
2438-573: The 1986 PBA season . Jaworski's Ginebra and Fernandez's Tanduay Rhum Makers battled each other in the All-Filipino finals . Fernandez led Tanduay to a 3–1 victory against Ginebra, but Jaworski would get his revenge when his team ended Tanduay Rhum's grandslam bid with a 151–130 rout in the season's third conference . Since then, whenever teams of Jaworski and Fernandez meet, the fans anticipate greater physicality and intensity because of their apparent hatred for one another. The Tanduay PBA franchise
2544-566: The 2002 season . Unfortunately, Menk was loaned to the Philippine team and the Kings struggled throughout the Governors' and Commissioner's Cups, again failing to enter the semis. In the All-Filipino, Menk made his Barangay Ginebra debut but the team did not enter the quarterfinals. Rommel Adducul finally made his PBA debut after his years with the Metropolitan Basketball Association . The Kings selected
2650-668: The Ayala Corporation . A problem ensued because of a league rule prohibiting a company to own more than two teams (SMC already had San Miguel and Ginebra). The options were disbanding the Purefoods franchise, or the Ayala Corporation retaining the team under a new banner. Eventually, the PBA Board of Governors adjusted the rule and allowed Purefoods to stay in the league. As a result, fierce rivals Ginebra and Purefoods also became sister teams. While some feared that
2756-936: The Crispa Redmanizers in the first of three titles won by the Redmanizers. Before the 1984 season , Toyota announced its departure from the league after winning nine titles in nine seasons. As part of an agreement with new team Beer Hausen , the rights of the Toyota players were acquired by Beer Hausen. The team, owned by Lucio Tan , was entering its first year in the PBA. Jaworski, Francis Arnaiz , Arnie Tuadles and Chito Loyzaga refused to join Beer Hausen. The internal feud between Jaworski and Fernandez, which had been simmering for several years, became public. With this development, Gilbey's accepted Jaworski and Arnaiz; Tuadles and Loyzaga joined Great Taste; while
2862-402: The 1993 PBA draft behind new team Sta. Lucia Realty which replaced Presto. They drafted former FEU power forward Victor Pablo but immediately traded him to 7-Up for veterans Manny Victorino and Alejo Alolor. The said trade was lambasted by most fans, and it cost Ginebra their performance for the year where they compiled a 9–26 record in all three conferences. This horrible performance gave them
2968-460: The 1997 PBA All-Filipino Cup finals, Alvin Patrimonio scored almost half of his team's total points (40 of 82) to lead his Purefoods Corned Beef Cowboys to the title over the Gordon's Gin Boars. Aside from notching his season-high in points, “ The Captain ” also grabbed 11 rebounds and dished four assists. In the quarterfinals of the 2001 All-Filipino Cup , Barangay Ginebra faced Purefoods, which had
3074-529: The All-Filipino Cup. [1] Añejo also clinched the 1988 PBA/IBA World Challenge Cup with Bobby Parks as their import by beating international teams and beating Alaska Air Force in the lone final game. In the season-ending Reinforced Conference wherein teams were allowed two imports each, Añejo again hired the great Billy Ray Bates and paired him with Kevin Gamble . After only four games, Bates
3180-473: The All-Filipino, earning his current nickname The Spark . The Kings finished fifth in the eliminations and faced Purefoods, who had a twice-to-beat advantage, in the quarterfinals. In a repeat of events the past two years, the Kings were able to defeat the TJ Hotdogs twice, after an off-balanced game-winner by Ronald Magtulis, to enter the semifinals. The Kings faced Shell in the semifinals, and Ginebra upset
3286-436: The Ginebra topgunner being sidelined for the rest of the conference. During one of the games of the series, struggling Ginebra import Jackson Vroman lost his cool and shoved B-Meg center Yancy de Ocampo in the face. The Ginebra import was called for a flagrant foul penalty 1 only, dodging what would have merited an automatic ejection and possibly a one-game suspension. B-Meg won the series against Ginebra, and eventually
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3392-439: The Ginebra-Purefoods games would never be as exciting as before, many fans and sports analysts thought otherwise, citing previous games played by sister squads Ginebra and San Miguel. True enough, fans continue to look forward to Ginebra and Purefoods encounters, knowing that the rivalry between these two sister teams remains as fierce as ever. In 1999, Jaworski left Ginebra to pursue a political career, making Purefoods’ Patrimonio
3498-466: The Governors' Cup, but they were eliminated by Sta. Lucia in the quarterfinals. In 1998 , Jaworski ran for a senatorial seat for the elections which he won by a lot of votes. This led to a conflict between Jaworski's role in the Senate and his role as coach of Ginebra (named during the Commissioner's Cup). Assistant Rino Salazar was named as interim coach at one point. Ginebra still struggled despite
3604-479: The Jaworski-Fernandez rivalry serving as a perfect side story, the rivalry was formed. Ginebra and Purefoods first met on April 5, 1988, with Purefoods playing coach Fernandez matching coaching skills with Ginebra counterpart Jaworski. Purefoods won the match, 116–110, despite falling down by 16 points in the third quarter. Fernandez was voted best player of the game. The squads again faced each other in
3710-622: The PBA finals just twice in the last 32 seasons, and playoff encounters between them have been few and far between, the Ginebra-Purefoods rivalry has remained the most heated in the league. The 1988 PBA All-Filipino Conference finals between the Añejo Rum 65 Rum Masters and the Purefoods Hotdogs was one of the most hyped championship series in PBA history. People saw it as the battle of former Toyota teammates and archrivals Robert Jaworski and Ramon Fernandez. It turned out, however, that
3816-431: The PBA in 1979 as an expansion team. After some rough times during their first few seasons, their fortunes changed when veterans Robert Jaworski and Francis Arnaiz arrived in 1984, following the disbandment of the famed Toyota Tamaraws . With new players like Jaworski being veterans of the game from ages 30–35, Jaworski would also be given the role as head coach of the young Ginebra team. As player-coach, Jaworski steered
3922-477: The PBA record books by scoring 103 points in Ginebra's 197–168 victory against Great Taste on November 21, 1985. This was later broken by Swift's Tony Harris in a 1992 game in Iloilo City ironically against Ginebra with 105 points. Former Crispa import Billy Ray Bates was brought in for the 1986 Open Conference. Each PBA team was allowed to get two imports for the said conference. Bates' other partner
4028-669: The Purefoods franchise entered the PBA, San Miguel Corporation (SMC) acquired a 70-percent stake in La Tondeña Incorporada, the company that owned the Ginebra PBA franchise. Consequently, the team went under the SMC umbrella, which owns another PBA team in San Miguel Beer . Since then, Ginebra and San Miguel became sister teams. In 2001, SMC also bought Purefoods-Hormel Corporation, which was previously owned by
4134-495: The Purefoods franchise. Winning their first three playoff series during the Caguioa-Yap era, the Purefoods teams were responsible for eliminating Barangay Ginebra from title contention. In the 2012 Commissioner's Cup , Yap and his B-Meg Llamados played against a Caguioa-less Barangay Ginebra team in the semifinals. It was actually Yap who accidentally hit Caguioa in the right eye during an elimination round game that led to
4240-702: The United States with his family. Even in the U.S. he actively took part in benefit basketball events staged by the PBA Legends USA Foundation. In 2007, he was enshrined into the PBA Hall of Fame along with Manny Paner , Danny Florencio , and Norman Black . In 2010, he suffered from a serious ailment called Myasthenia Gravis and was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for eight days. He managed to survive from
4346-405: The addition of Bong Alvarez to the team. That year, Danding Cojuangco regained ownership of San Miguel Corporation . One of the moves the team made was adding Allan Caidic from San Miguel Beer. This caused a rift between Jaworski and the new SMC management because he was not informed of the move. In a press conference held at the Senate, Jaworski resigned as player-coach of the Gins. Jaworski
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4452-401: The basketball battle of the lower class ( masa ) and the upper class ( sosyal ), and a war between the “bad guys” and the “good boys.” While Ginebra continued to attract the masses, particularly the males, Purefoods brought in a new wave of fans among the younger set, including the females. From out of nowhere, Purefoods dislodged San Miguel as the second most popular team in the league and with
4558-540: The benching of Fernandez, the Hotdogs recovered with a 117–112 win. Jojo Lastimosa topscored for Purefoods with 27 points. In Game Three, the Hotdogs’ Totoy Marquez, who led all scorers in that game with 30, missed on his last attempt to allow the Rum Masters to escape with a two-point victory, 112–110. In the series-clinching Game Four for Añejo, Jaworski, who scored 28 points, followed up his own miss to send
4664-409: The bottom of the team standings. It is no surprise that it was during this time that Purefoods recorded the largest winning margin of the rivalry; the Hotdogs trampling the Gins, 157–118, on March 10, 1992. In a span of nearly two years, Ginebra also went winless against Purefoods, which strung together eight consecutive victories against their rivals. Still, there were some note-worthy encounters between
4770-428: The championship in what was considered as one of the greatest Game Seven victories in PBA history. In the 2012 Governors’ Cup , B-Meg defeated Ginebra twice in crucial games: the first in the semifinal round, and the second in the playoff game for the last Finals slot. In that game played on July 20, 2012, B-Meg's Peter June Simon nailed a putback off a missed attempt by import Marqus Blakely with 2.5 seconds left in
4876-463: The core of the Tanduay team sans Fernandez but with its top five rookies would carry the Purefoods squad in the series. In Game One, Joey Loyzaga led the Rum Masters to victory as he fired five three-point shots, all of them on crucial occasions and quelling as many Purefoods uprising. Alvin Patrimonio led all scorers but his 34 points went to naught as the Hotdogs fell, 105–111. In Game Two, despite
4982-455: The court and sank the go-ahead one-hander to give his team an 85–83 win. In the fifth game of the series, James Yap, with his team down by one in the last 22.4 seconds, scored a three-pointer to tow his team to victory. Yap made up for the last missed three-pointer he shot in Game 4 that could have extended that game into overtime. In that same game, forward Mac Baracael of Barangay Ginebra committed
5088-466: The court, are fierce rivals since college; both of them notching triple-doubles in games. They played their first PBA playoff series against each other right in Jalalon's first conference in the pro league. Thompson, who averaged 8 rebounds, helped his Ginebra team defeat Star in that semifinal series , overcoming a 0–2 deficit before winning in seven games. After getting defeated in the final two games of
5194-419: The final game, three 65ers scored 25 points or more – Joey Loyzaga , Dondon Ampalayo , and Sonny Jaworski – as the 65ers did not allow the then rookie-laden Purefoods team to gain confidence. The game was close all throughout until the final 3 minutes of the game when Loyzaga and Jaworski uncorked 3-pointers that iced the win. This team is known as the best All-Filipino underdog team ever to grabbed
5300-544: The finals of the First Conference against Benjie Paras and the Shell Rimula X team. In Game Six, with Shell already leading the series 3–2, Añejo protested a foul on Rey Cuenco with a few minutes left in the second quarter. This led to the infamous walk out of Añejo. The team also complained about the unfavorable officiating as the team had more fouls than Shell. In the end, the game was forfeited and awarded
5406-433: The finals via a classic playoff game vs. San Miguel. Joey Loyzaga made a perfect pass to Romulo Mamaril and made the game winning basket. Añejo took on new team Purefoods in the finals. Añejo won the series 3–1 over the young Purefoods team led by Jerry Codiñera , Alvin Patrimonio , and Jojo Lastimosa (who had a confrontation with Jaworski). During this time, Fernandez was benched by Purefoods for alleged game-fixing. In
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#17327983065215512-403: The first time in a PBA finals in the 1988 All Filipino. The Rum Masters won the title against a Purefoods crew that was without their main man, Fernandez, for most part of the series. Starting Game Two of the 1988 All-Filipino championship series, the Purefoods management decided to bench Fernandez. Purefoods eventually lost the series in four games. Fernandez, who was accused of dropping the games,
5618-652: The following tournament and settled for third in the succeeding two conferences, before dominating the league as the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers by winning four consecutive championships, as well as the Grand Slam in the 2013–14 season . On the other hand, Barangay Ginebra, although competitive, continued to fail in advancing to the Finals. A string of playoff exits and disappointments prompted team management to pluck Cariaso out of San Mig Coffee at
5724-527: The former San Sebastian College - Recoletos Stag as the No. 2 pick in the 2003 draft. His addition though did not help Ginebra's fortune to change in the 29th season. In the All-Filipino Cup, they were eliminated by eventual champion Talk 'N Text in the quarterfinals. They also failed to qualify for the Invitational tournament, after being eliminated by eventual champion Alaska in the qualifying rounds. In
5830-453: The franchise to four PBA titles between 1986 and 1997. After the retirement of Coach Jaworski at the age of 52, Jong Uichico , Siot Tanquingcen and Tim Cone would be coaching the players led by the legendary "Fast and The Furious", MVPs Jayjay Helterbrand and Mark Caguioa . Joining the league in 1979 , the team was known as Gilbey's Gin of then-owner and team founder Carlos Palanca Jr.'s La Tondeña, Inc. franchise. Its first head coach
5936-457: The game into overtime. The Rum Masters dominated the extension period, 16–5, completing a come-from-behind win over the Hotdogs, who even led by as much as 19 points in the third quarter. Añejo bagged Game Four, 135–124, and the championship title, winning the series, 3–1. Barangay Ginebra San Miguel The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). The most popular team in
6042-421: The game. Caguioa's entry also came at a time when Patrimonio was close to retirement and the league needed a new face to carry the PBA banner. Caguioa was fit and ready for that role. With Patrimonio slowing down, it was Purefoods’ turn to look for its new franchise player. In 2004, that player turned out to be James Yap , who was drafted second overall by the team in the 2004 draft. Unlike Caguioa when he entered
6148-402: The gameclock to lift his team over Barangay Ginebra, 74–72. The rivals met once more in an epic seven-game semifinals of the 2013–14 PBA Philippine Cup . In the dying seconds of Game 1 of the 2013-14 Philippine Cup Semifinals , the inbound pass of Barangay Ginebra's Mac Baracael was stolen by Joe Devance , after which San Mig Super Coffee (Purefoods) guard Mark Barroca quickly ran down
6254-523: The league's Most Valuable Player (MVP) twice, while Caguioa has been chosen as the MVP once. Both have also been part of the Mythical Teams several times, consequently becoming competitors against each other for the top individual award. Comparison between the two players thus seems inevitable. As to who between the two should be considered as more popular, more talented, and more deserving to be called
6360-637: The league, it is owned by Ginebra San Miguel, Inc. (formerly, La Tondeña Distillers, Inc.), a subsidiary of the San Miguel Corporation (SMC). The team is one of three PBA ball clubs currently owned by the SMC group of companies, along with Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots and the San Miguel Beermen . Barangay Ginebra has won 15 PBA championships, the second most overall. La Tondeña, Inc. (renamed, La Tondeña Distillers, Inc., after SMC acquired majority control in 1987) joined
6466-419: The league, Yap was already a well-known player, being a superstar in the collegiate and amateur ranks. He also appeared to be the perfect replacement for Patrimonio – he was popular, equally good-looking, and had the wholesome persona that the Hotdogs were looking for. Yap's popularity surged even more when he tied the knot with celebrity actress Kris Aquino and found himself being adored by the masses, including
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#17327983065216572-514: The long-time head coach of the Alaska Aces , cut his ties with the team that he led to 13 championship titles, including a rare Grand Slam . Cone became successful with the Aces running his triangle offense , a brainchild of NBA coach Phil Jackson and Tex Winter which provides for ample spacing that puts everyone in scoring position. Days after Cone announced his resignation, he was named as
6678-422: The most glaring examples of its “Never Say Die spirit”. With 21 seconds left in the game and the Hotdogs up, 134–130, Añejo score a quick two. Then, import Carlos Briggs stole the ball from Dindo Pumaren and completed a three-point play off a foul by Lastimosa, capping a stirring comeback and a 135–134 victory for Jaworski's charges. Five nights later, fans supporting both teams got into a fight after Añejo salvaged
6784-482: The name St. George Whiskies during the 1981 Reinforced Filipino conference. In 1982 , playing again as Gilbey's Gin under new coach Arturo Valenzona , the Gins made its first finals appearance during the Open Conference. But they were swept by Toyota of coach Ed Ocampo, Robert Jaworski , and Ramon Fernandez . Gilbey's made another finals appearance in the 1983 All-Filipino but were also swept by
6890-517: The new head coach of the B-Meg Llamados. He brought along two players of his Grand Slam team — Jeffrey Cariaso and Johnny Abarrientos — to B-Meg to serve as his assistant coaches. The two assisted Cone in teaching the new system to B-Meg players. After a disappointing playoff loss to Powerade in his first conference with the Purefoods franchise, Cone steered the team to the 2012 Commissioner's Cup title. The team finished as runners up in
6996-489: The non-basketball watchers. For the decade, two of the most popular and most talented players in the league doubled as the franchise players of Ginebra and Purefoods, just like in the playing years of Jaworski and Patrimonio. So notable is the parallelism that after a playoff game wherein Yap made the winning basket, Coach Tim Cone of San Mig Super Coffee remarked, “In the old days it would’ve come down to Alvin Patrimonio making
7102-466: The old Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA). The Crispa-Floro duo was again in the national team skippered by Jaworski for the 1974 Asian Games in Teheran. In the PBA, Guidaben was a "late-bloomer" with Crispa. During the league's early years, he played in the shadows of his more illustrious teammates like Philip Cezar , Atoy Co , and Bogs Adornado . But slowly, his talent as
7208-542: The place of aging veteran guards and former MVPs Mark Caguioa and Jayjay Helterbrand . By the end of his rookie season, Thompson had made the PBA All-Rookie Team and was instrumental in Barangay Ginebra's conquest of the 2016 PBA Governors' Cup that ended an eight-year title drought for the team. As Barangay Ginebra ascended back to the top, Star, on the other hand, struggled for most part of
7314-428: The playoffs again, and team officials and players conceded that the team needed more time to adjust to its new offensive system. However, before the start of the 2015 PBA Commissioner's Cup , Ginebra dropped Cariaso, abandoned the triangle system, and went back to its familiar run-and-gun system with returning head coach Ato Agustin , and later with collegiate champion coach Frankie Lim . An interesting plot twist to
7420-529: The quarterfinals by Tanduay in the 2000 All-Filipino Cup, as well as the Commissioner's Cup. With Brian Green as import for the Governors' Cup, the Kings tried to repeat the same result of the 1999 All-Filipino against Mobiline . But this time though, the Phone Pals were able to beat Ginebra in the elimination game. In 2001 , the Kings drafted Mark Caguioa , a virtual unknown in the Philippines basketball scene. Despite that, Caguioa showed brilliance during
7526-479: The rest of the Toyota players, led by Fernandez, joined Beer Hausen. Jaworski and Arnaiz turned the moribund franchise into a competitive team almost overnight when in the first conference of the 1984 season, the All-Filipino Conference, they led the team to the finals against Crispa . By 1985 , Gilbey's was renamed as Ginebra San Miguel . However, the team failed to enter the finals in each of
7632-399: The rivalry also regained vitality. In 1997, a coin-throwing incident marred a game between the old rivals when a controversial blocking foul was called against Ginebra's Vince Hizon on a drive by Purefoods’ center Jerry Codiñera. In the 1997 PBA All-Filipino Cup , the two teams met for only the second time in the PBA finals. Purefoods won the series convincingly in six games. In Game Six of
7738-419: The rivalry between the two teams lives on. Matchups between the two teams, whether in the elimination round or in the playoffs, have regularly drawn huge crowds to the venues and television ratings have been high. The duels have also induced excitement among fans, who usually express their support through the social media sites and by publishing fan art. It has been observed that while the two teams have met in
7844-535: The rivalry was Cone's transfer in the following offseason from the Star Hotshots (Purefoods) to Ginebra, where the multi-titled coach is expected to reintroduce the triangle. Star's Joe Devance , a player very familiar with Cone's triangle having played the system in Alaska and Purefoods, soon reunited with the veteran coach in Ginebra through a four-team trade. The Hotshots, on the other hand, looked to implement
7950-416: The run-and-gun system under its new head coach, Jason Webb . With their new coaches, Star won the first Manila Clasico game, which saw Barangay Ginebra trailing by as much as 31 points and their trademark comeback attempt coming up short in the final quarter. Barangay Ginebra got back at Star in the quarterfinal knockouts of the same tournament by winning a “Christmas Clasico” in vintage Ginebra style. Star
8056-403: The season ending Reinforced Conference, they were knocked out by then-sister team and eventual champion Coca-Cola in the quarterfinals. In the 2004–2005 season, Caguioa, along with his backcourt partner Jayjay Helterbrand , formed a strong tandem, which ABC Sports dubbed "The Fast and The Furious". Their play enabled the Kings to win back-to-back championships. In 2004, the league shifted to
8162-401: The season under Webb. In the following offseason, Chito Victolero was named new head coach while Webb was designated as team consultant. Star also made the biggest deal in the offseason buildup when it traded long-time franchise cornerstone James Yap for guard Paul Lee . It also picked up NCAA top point guard Jio Jalalon in the 2016 PBA draft . Jalalon and Thompson, though friends off
8268-526: The second half, building their own 19-point lead during the fourth quarter and winning by 13, 116–103. Tension between the two teams continued even after the final buzzer, with forwards Marc Pingris and Dave Marcelo jawing at each other, and Star Team Manager Alvin Patrimonio and retired player Peter Aguilar (father of Ginebra forward Japeth) exchanging heated words. In the 2015 PBA draft , Barangay Ginebra selected do-it-all guard Scottie Thompson , whom Cone felt "might turn out to be special" and could take
8374-436: The semifinals of the 1988 Open Conference . Purefoods’ 111–109 overtime win sent the Hotdogs into the finals against San Miguel Beer, while a loss would have meant another playoff game with Ginebra for the second finals berth. After this game, some frustrated Ginebra fans at the gallery section pelted the court with plastic cups and coins. The squads’ first meeting in an All-Filipino tournament saw another Añejo collapse, losing
8480-588: The series, the Hotshots would lose five more consecutive games to Ginebra, extending their losing skid to seven games. The Hotshots, now carrying the Magnolia brand, arrested the slide with a win in Game 1 of their 2018 PBA Governors' Cup Best-of-5 Semifinals match-up. Magnolia went on to beat Ginebra in the series, 3–1, and put an end to their rivals' two-year title reign in the Governors' Cup . Barangay Ginebra
8586-399: The start of the 2014 Governors' Cup . A disciple of Cone in Alaska and San Mig Coffee, Cariaso said he wanted to mix the triangle with the run-and-gun offense that Ginebra has been employing. Ginebra started the conference with three straight wins but it was no less than Cone and rival San Mig Coffee who dealt the team its first loss with Cariaso at the helm. Ginebra failed to advance deep into
8692-503: The team a 30-game improvement from a year ago and was named as the Rookie of the Year . In 1997 , the team was renamed Gordon's Gin Boars . One of the most memorable shots in team history was Bal David's final second heave from half-court to defeat San Miguel Beer by two points. Gordon's Gin entered the finals of the All-Filipino against Purefoods Corned Beef . Purefoods managed to take
8798-533: The team its first-ever championship. Arnaiz suddenly left for the United States due to injury, but was still part of the line-up, before the team won its first championship, ending his 11-year career and tandem with Jaworski. He retired shortly afterwards the 1986 season. In 1988 , the team changed its name to Añejo Rum 65 . The 65ers won the 1988 PBA All-Filipino Conference , their first All-Filipino championship and second overall title. They entered
8904-486: The team just before the game. Some of the interesting features of the rivalry also included the popularity battle between Añejo's Dondon Ampalayo and Purefoods’ Patrimonio, and the fierce one-on-one matchups between Patrimonio and Chito Loyzaga in the paint; among many others. The rivalry somehow wavered in the early to mid-90s as Purefoods, led by the then dominant Patrimonio, went on to win several championships while Ginebra struggled and found themselves languishing in
9010-451: The team's popular players along with Vince Hizon , Jayvee Gayoso, and Pido Jarencio. In the Commissioner's Cup, the team paraded NBA veteran Henry James as the team wound up in an elimination game against Formula Shell. But Kenny Redfield's buzzer-beating three enabled Shell to enter the finals. Ginebra finally entered the finals of the Governors' Cup but lost to the grand slam winning Alaska Milkmen in five games. Aquino's impact gave
9116-502: The three conferences, showing only a strong finish in the Reinforced Conference . On October 22, 1985, in a game against Northern Cement (NCC) , Jaworski was hit by an elbow from Jeff Moore late in the second quarter. He had to be brought to nearby Medical City's emergency room to get stitches on his lips. During the third quarter, NCC was leading when Jaworski returned to the bench. Michael Hackett also saw his name in
9222-468: The title to the Oilers. The result of this event gave the team a fine of more than 500,000 PHP which was then the highest fine in league history. In 1991 , Añejo reverted to playing as Ginebra San Miguel . They met Shell again in the finals of the 1991 PBA First Conference . The Oilers goes up 3–1 in the series,needing only a win to clinch the series,but Shell blew a 3–1 lead as Ginebra managed
9328-401: The top pick again in the next draft. This was the last time a PBA team with the worst record was awarded the top pick in the draft. In the succeeding drafts, the worst PBA team had to compete with the second worst team via lottery to determine the top pick in the draft. In 1996 , the team used the top overall pick to draft controversial center Marlou Aquino from Adamson University . Aquino
9434-628: The top pick in the next draft. In 1994 , in an effort to change their fortunes, the team was renamed Tondeña Rhum 65 . The team selected Noli Locsin with their first pick, and was hoped to make team better. But Tondeña's struggles continued, winning just 12 of the 32 games that year. In 1995 , the team reverted again to Ginebra San Miguel . They selected 7′0″ center E.J. Feihl and also drafted Jaworski's son, Robert Jr. The drafting of Feihl surprised people. They were expecting Ginebra to either draft Kenneth Duremdes or Jeffrey Cariaso at that time. Jaworski later quoted, " It's not everyday that you see
9540-526: The top-seeded Turbo Chargers in five games to meet sister team San Miguel in the finals. The Kings trailed 0–2 but won the next two games to tie the series at 2–2. In the end though, the Beermen won the series in six games. The Kings' success in the All-Filipino were not duplicated in the Commissioner's and Governors' Cup, as they were eliminated in the quarterfinals. After the season, the Kings acquired Eric Menk from Tanduay to solidify their frontline for
9646-572: The two ballclubs during that period. One of which was the Ginebra win that ended its losing skid against the Hotdogs. In that game, former Purefoods player Vince Hizon carried the Gins with his 25 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists. Another was a game played on October 6, 1992, wherein Ginebra overcame a 19-point deficit to snatch a win, 140–134, in overtime. In 1996, with the acquisition of rookie big man Marlou Aquino and free agent point guard Bal David , Ginebra, still handled by playing coach Jaworksi, found itself competitive once more. Consequently,
9752-411: The two teams, their history, and the profiles of their original fanbase made the rivalry special and endure through the years. The rivalry is said to have begun even before Purefoods entered the PBA. Ginebra playing coach Robert Jaworski had a simmering feud with former Toyota teammate Ramon Fernandez . The hostilities between two of the biggest stars in the league during that time started to peak in
9858-454: The undisputed face of the league. His departure from the team that he led for so many years also resulted to the team struggling to find a new identity. Two years later, Ginebra brought in the extremely charismatic Mark Caguioa , a virtually unknown player from the rookie draft. The man who was eventually called “The Spark” caught the attention of the millions of Ginebra fans and became their new darling because of his talent, will, and passion for
9964-520: The “face of the PBA” remains a debate between the fanbases of both clubs. During games between the two teams, the pro-Ginebra crowd would boo Yap, and vice versa: the pro-San Mig Coffee crowd would also boo Caguioa, whenever either touches the ball. During its off-season buildup for 2016-17 , the Star Hotshots traded Yap to Rain or Shine for superstar guard Paul Lee , marking the end of an era for
10070-415: Was Pilo Pumaren and was bannered by MICAA standout Willie Tanduyan and imports Larry McNeil and Dean Tolson . Gilbey's managed to place fourth in the 1979 Invitational tournament. In the 1980 season , Nemie Villegas took over as head coach. Willie Generalao won the Rookie of the Year honors during the 1980 season as Gilbey's placed fourth in the All-Filipino tournament. The franchise played under
10176-422: Was Michael Hackett, who was the 1985 Open Conference Best Import . It is believed that the pair was the greatest import tandem in PBA history. The two led the team in the finals of the tournament against Manila Beer (formerly Beer Hausen), with Abet Guidaben and imports Michael Young and Harold Keeling. Bates and Hackett powered Ginebra to a 4–1 win in the series to win the 1986 PBA Open Conference and give
10282-451: Was a big star in the PBL for Nikon Home Appliances and Stag Pale Pilsen but was involved in a controversial scandal in terms of his academic status at Adamson, although this was later neglected when he jumped pro. Aquino showed the promise the fans of the team expected during the All-Filipino Conference. It also showed the discovery of former University of Santo Tomas guard Bal David as one of
10388-464: Was also beaten by Magnolia in the quarterfinals of the succeeding Philippine Cup tournament , losing the back-to-back Manila Clasico playoff series to the Hotshots. There have been many changes since the original Añejo–Purefoods rivalry started. The Ginebra franchise changed the team name several times: from Añejo Rum, Ginebra San Miguel, Gordon's Gin, Barangay Ginebra Kings, and to Barangay Ginebra San Miguel. The Purefoods franchise also has gone through
10494-521: Was considered the oldest basketball player on any roster at 52 years of age during this time before he retired. In 1999 , the team was then officially called Barangay Ginebra Kings . In the All-Filipino, the Barangay Ginebra Kings only managed to finish 8th in the eliminations, and needed to win twice against the first-seeded Mobiline Phone Pals and Asi Taulava in a " David and Goliath " elimination game. The Kings managed to force
10600-423: Was eventually bought by Purefoods in 1988. But the cold war between “ The Living Legend ” and “ El Presidente ” just served as starting point for the enmity. In the 80s, Jaworski was the most polarizing player in the league. While millions of people cheered for him, just as many people hated him because of his and his team's perceived “dirty play.” Fans were either for Jaworski's team or weren’t. Meanwhile, Purefoods
10706-415: Was eventually traded to San Miguel in exchange for veteran center Abet Guidaben . After Fernandez's departure from Purefoods, “The Captain” Alvin Patrimonio became the new go-to guy and leader of the team. The rivalry with Ginebra was sustained by some compelling stories and notable occurrences during games involving the two teams. In an April 4, 1989 game where Purefoods dominated Añejo, Jaworski sneaked in
10812-471: Was fined and suspended for one game. With Añejo getting eliminated from the 1990 Reinforced Conference by its loss to Purefoods, the one-game suspension on Jaworski took effect the following season. On May 2, 1991, Ginebra San Miguel scored 16 unanswered points in the first quarter of a game against Purefoods. The team that got the early lead never looked back and won, 126–108. Purefoods played importless against Ginebra once again after Richard Hollis abandoned
10918-463: Was marred by a scuffle in Game 2 of the series. In the 2000 off-season, Aquino was traded to Sta. Lucia Realty in exchange for Jun Limpot . The trade was considered as one of the biggest transactions done in the PBA. Another standout, Locsin, was later traded to Pop Cola during the Commissioner's Cup for Vergel Meneses , but it still didn't help the Kings throughout the season. Caidic replaced Salazar as head coach. The Kings were eliminated early in
11024-533: Was sent home for good. The 65er would finish the season with the exciting and high-scoring duo of Joe Ward and Tommy Davis as imports. On the next season, Añejo lost in five games to grand slam winning San Miguel Beermen in the Reinforced Conference . In that conference, the 65ers paraded another super import in Carlos Briggs, who easily won the Best Import Award. In 1990 , Añejo entered
11130-474: Was trotting out a talented bunch of rookies led by Jojo Lastimosa , Jerry Codiñera , and Alvin Patrimonio to complement the veteran Fernandez. Suddenly, all the Jaworski haters now had a group of talented, fresh-faced, young players, for whom they could cheer against the “bad boys” of Ginebra. Purefoods was positioned as the league's glamour team, in stark contrast to Ginebra's darling of the masses. It became
11236-468: Was up by as much as 18 points in the fourth quarter but Barangay Ginebra made a furious run in the final minutes to force overtime. In the extension period, the game was tied at 89 before LA Tenorio sank in a buzzer-beating three pointer to win it for Ginebra, 92–89. In an elimination round game of the 2016 Governors' Cup , Star built a 17-point lead in the first half, only to lose in another classic Ginebra comeback. Barangay Ginebra turned things around in
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