Instead, he points to the one glaring blotch in that league-leading 13-3 record the Water force are taking into the championship of the 2004 PBL Unity Cup.
All three losses came at the hands of Welcoat which finished with a 10-6 mark.
"They have the advantage because they beat us three times in four previous meetings. They really dominated us in those games," said Banal.
The best-of-five series kicks off at 3:30 p.m. today, following the 1:30 p.m. knockout game for third between deposed champion Hapee Toothpaste and newcomer Toyota Otis-Letran at the Pasig Sports Center, and Banal refuses to believe that Viva-FEU is an overwhelming favorite to put a quick end to the championship bout.
"It’s going to be a long series," said Banal who is expected to draw firepower from leading MVP candidate Arwind Santos, Mark Isip and Gerard Jones.
It’s going to be long, indeed, and a series filled with interesting subplots.
Viva’s youth versus Welcoat’s experience. Teammanship vs. showmanship. A veteran coach with a college title in his pocket versus a young coach accidentally thrust into the limelight by fate.
Even Commissioner Chino Trinidad is convinced the series will be as exciting and dramatic as the Platinum Cup finals, saying: "All the ingredients are there. Both teams are blessed with exciting and explosive players."
"Coaching-wise, coach Koy has the edge. He’s a good scout and he prepares his team really well. We have to be prepared," said 29-year-old Welcoat mentor Caloy Garcia, who inherited the head coaching position when Leo Austria was given a call to jump to the PBA via Shell.
"We won’t be doing anything new. Coach Leo still helps us out every now and then so it’s still the same system we are using," said Garcia.
Welcoat’s deadly and flashy duo of Chester Tolomia and Jojo Tangkay, nicknamed T2, will be at the forefront of the Welcoat attack that will go against a solid team effort of Viva-FEU, whose game resembles that of Asian powerhouses like South Korea and China. They pass a lot to free open shooters at the perimeter.
That puts a lot of spotlight on the point guards of both teams, who will be the focal point of the series.
"Matindi talaga ang laban. Malakas ang point nila. Si Dino Aldeguer, idol ko nung bata pa ako," said Dennis Miranda, the Water Force’s starting playmaker.
"Mas matured yung mga point guards nila so kailangan namin mag step-up ng husto," added back-up Warren Ybañez.
Aldeguer, though, said the guards alone won’t decide the series: "One or two players are not going to decide this. It’s going to take a total team effort."
The Paint Masters, gunning for their sixth title in nine finals appearances, will enter the series motivated by a past hurt.
"When we lost to Hapee (formerly Fash Liquid Laundry Detergent) last conference, we were criticized for our lack of heart. Now, we want to win it this time if only to prove that we also have the heart of a winner," said Garcia.
"Eager kaming manalo. Gusto ng mga teammates ko makuha yung titulo kasi may gusto silang patunayan," said Tolomia.
The two teams may differ in their opinion about who the favorites in the series are. But they agree on one thing.
"It’s going to be a long series," said Garcia.
"I don’t see this ending early. We’ll just try to keep it close the whole way and see what we can do in the end," said Banal.
