Game One key to UE’s stab at history

Philippine Star
Tuesday, October 2, 2007

For University of the East coach Dindo Pumaren, sweeping the elims is one thing. Winning championship games is another.

In fact, Pumaren said at this stage he is still figuring out how to win Game One of their keenly awaited best-of-three series with La Salle at the Araneta Coliseum on Thursday.

“We’re not thinking of anything else right now except how to win in Game 1,” said Pumaren, whose Warriors will not only be facing a fired-up Archers but also likely to fight off rust brought about by a three-week rest.

That’s their bonus, or minus, for winning all 14 games in the double-round elims with the Warriors now two wins away from becoming the first team to sweep its way to the UAAP crown since University of Santo Tomas did the trick 14 years ago without the Final Four format.

Unlike the Tigers’ romp, however, the Warriors will need to complete the feat by winning the best-of-three series.

That means UE would need to win two more over La Salle, which needed a pair of highly emotional Final Four games to bring down arch rival Ateneo, to complete the sweep, end a 22-year long title drought and rewrite history.

To date, the Warriors are tied with the Tigers with 18 titles and a victory this year would push them in a tie with the Far Eastern U Tams, the league’s most successful team with 19 crowns.

The upcoming title series will also mark the first time that the Pumaren brothers – Dindo and Franz – will clash for a crown. It is also the first between UE and La Salle since the two last met in 1990, the year the Archers nailed their first title of a back-to-back. – Joey Villar