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After a rough start, the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings took game 1 of the Smart PBA Fiesta Conference, 105-96. The Finals debut of Air21 had a stellar straight, able to erect a 10-0 lead to start off the game. But right after coach Jong called for a full time-out, the Kings went on a roll erasing the 10 point defecit and even snatching the lead. The Gin Kings never looked back since.

Ginebra played extremely tight defense translating to Air 21's sour shooting from the field. Gary David was tightly guarded. As coach Bo said, his team's defense is fueled by their offense. In game 1, when they loss their shooting touch their defense also struggled. Cris Alexander outplayed his counterpart, Steve Thomas. The Express settled for stugnant 1 on 1 plays mostly on Thomas posting Alexander.