MANILA: Playing what could probably go down as the most important game in the history of their franchise, the Air21 Express, true to their company slogan, delivered.
And KG Canaleta, the electrifying swingman who has yet to truly live up to his potential, came out of his shell to deliver the knockout blows that pulverized the game Gin Kings.
Canaleta drained all of his five triple attempts as the Express posted a 97-87 victory for a 2-1 lead over the suddenly beleaguered Kings in their Fiesta Cup title series before more than 16,000 screaming souls at the Araneta Coliseum.
Four of those Canaleta three-pointers came in a five-minute span in the fourth period as Air21 dropped a 17-6 bomb that turned a 70-all contest into an 87-76 game which the Express protected until the final buzzer.
Steven Thomas also stood out, finishing with 20 points and the same number of rebounds. His 13 second half points were all clutch, scored mostly off Best Import awardee Chris Alexander.
And then there was Gary David, who was consistent as usual and finished with 25 points to lead all Air21 shooters, before Wynne Arboleda, probably the most under-appreciated point guard in the league, missed his first career triple-double by one assist.
Arboleda, making the most out of the absence of injured counterpart Jay-Jay Helterbrand, had 12 points, 10 rebounds and four steals in a great starting job.
“It’s a lot more different than being behind,” said Air21 coach Bo Perasol later, when asked what a 2-1 lead in their first Finals stint meant. “We are going to take every game (from hereon) differently. We have to have a fresh motivation each game.”
The Kings, even with Helterbrand on the bench, took command for the better part of the game, even entering the final period with a two-point lead.
But the Express dropped that bomb and effectively took the fight out of the Kings, who were led by Mark Caguioa’s 21 points, Eric Menk’s 17 and the triple double of the 7-foot-1 Alexander.
Alexander, who won the Best Import trophy in simple ceremonies preceding Game 2 on Friday, had 14 points, 17 rebounds and 11 blocks, tying the third highest total in league history, one which was last accomplished 19 years ago by Jerry Codinera. Andy Fields, the charismatic import of the Toyota Super Corollas in the 1980s, holds the all-time mark of 13 blocks. Canaleta’s fifth triple capped that telling run going into the final 5:37 for that 11-point lead, and it was all that the Express needed to post their second straight victory in the series and further dent the psyche of the once-favored Kings.
Meanwhile, Welcoat won the Draft lottery and gained a truly great shot at turning the fortunes of the franchise around starting next year. The Dragons beat the Talk ‘N Text Phone Pals for the No. 1 pick in the Aug. 31 proceedings, and if things materialize, Welcoat could well be on the way to snaring the great Gabe Norwood from the pool.
Norwood , the former George Mason star in the US NCAA, has filed his application for the Draft but as of this writing last night, has yet to be cleared by the Commissioner’s Office pending the presentation of several documents.
The 6-foot-5 point guard, who was the backbone of the RP Team that bamboozled the opposition in the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand last December, will have to provide the league with affirmation of his Filipino citizenship by the justice department.
