IT'S a finale the PBA hasn't seen in a long, long while.
The Bay Area Dragons are hoping to complete a mighty invasion of the local pro league but standing in the way is the Barangay Ginebra squad raring to defend the home turf.
Forget any other themes in this series. In street basketball, it's "taga rito" vs "dayo."
And it's expected to be a highly charged series from the opening tip of the best-of-seven showdown that kicks off at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on Christmas Day.
Game time is at 5 p.m.
Sponsored content: "We're like the national team and if you're the home team you have to protect your home," said Ginebra chief playmaker LA Tenorio.
The Dragons are determined to humble to home team in a bid to complete a PBA invasion that would replicate the glorious run of Nicholas Stoodley in the 1980 Invitationals.
"It's a very special opportunity for us. We have utmost respect for Ginebra; they're very talented, they're very well coached. We're a young team but we're well-prepared and we're confident," said Bay Area hotshot Duncan Reid.
"Hopefully, we put on a good show and we bring home the championship," added Reid, among the major pieces in a formidable team coach Brian Goorjian assembled for the East Asia Super League.
The Dragons, bannered by import Andrew Nicholson - and for a number of games by Myles Powell, have been a dominant team, topping the elims before hurdling Rain or Shine in the quarters then titlist San Miguel Beer in the semifinals.
Sponsored content: But the Kings showed their stuff in the Ginebra-Bay Area elims tiff, and it's a source of optimism going to the title clash.
Then add the Justin Brownlee factor.
The Kings are five-of-five in title playoffs with their talented import. Brownlee has been his old lethal self and is expected to be Ginebra's trump card on top of that gritty local crew and the Ginebra die-hards tipped to come into play.
Goorjian is excited to bring his Dragons in this kind of atmosphere.
"That's why you play - playing in a 20,000-seat stadium and having a full-house and knowing that these games are going to be televised for all of China, for all the world to see, it's why you play," he said.
But then he's painting his team as the underdog.
"I look at their team, I look at their depth and it's a seven-game series so there's a lot of obstacles to overcome," he said. "We have a lot of youth that have never played in a finals series before so I view it, that's a long winded (series), I feel like an underdog."
No doubt, both have good materials.
Among the other key players with Nicholson and Reid are Hayden Blankley, Glen Yang and giant Liu Chuanxing.
Cone will bank on a core group that includes Scottie Thompson, Christian Standhardinger, Japeth Aguilar, Jamie Malonzo and Stanley Pringle.
Fireworks explode in this PBA finale. (SB)
