PRE-SEASON TOURNEY FIRES OFF ON SEPT 8.; Ginebra vs. Purefoods initial salvo at SSC-Cavite

PBA.phThursday, 30 August 2007Reigning All-Filipino champion Barangay Ginebra and dethroned Fiesta Conference titlist Purefoods tangle on September 8 at the San Sebastian College-Cavite gym to fire off the 2007 PBA Pre-Season Tournament.Alaska is looking for a title-repeat in the pre-season event which now features a guest Korean team in five tune-up matches against different PBA ballclubs.The KT&G quintet, a member of the Korean Basketball League, goes up against the Welcoat Dragons on Sept. 10, Alaska Aces on the 11th, San Miguel Beermen on the 12th, Red Bull on the 13th and the Coca-Cola Tigers on the 14th all at 4 p.m. at The Arena in San Juan.The Koreans’ games, however, will be purely goodwill matches, with no bearing on the fight for the pre-season championship won by the Aces over the Beermen last year.The short tourney provides PBA ballclubs a chance to size up one another before official action begins on October 14. It also serves as a good venue for teams to make a final assessment on their would-be players.The 10 PBA teams are divided into two groups in the eliminations. They play one round robin in each group after which the top squads from each bracket advance to the one-game final.Alaska, Coca-Cola, Sta. Lucia, Red Bull and San Miguel compose Group A while Talk N Text, Welcoat, Purefoods, Air21 and Barangay Ginebra make up Group B.The Aces and the Phone Pals, the title protagonists in the recent Fiesta Conference, were seeded separately. The rest of the teams were divided evenly according to their order of finish last campaign.After Ginebra and Purefoods clash on opening day at the SSC-Cavite gym, Talk nN Text and Air21 collide the following day at the San Beda-Alabang gym.Back-to-back double-headers are set at The Arena on September 11 and 12 with the KT&G team featured on the 4 p.m. curtain-raisers. It’s Coca-Cola versus Sta. Lucia in the 6 p.m. main game on the 11th and Ginebra against Talk N Text in the mainer on the 12th.The Express and the Giants test each other’s mettle at 6 p.m. on the 13th at the PUP gym.On the 14th, another double-header is set at The Arena with Coca-Cola taking on KT&G at 4 p.m. then Talk N Text tackling Welcoat at 6 p.m.The rest of the schedule is still being finalized. (NC)