# 2007–08 Red Bull Barako season

The 2007–08 Red Bull Barako season was the eight season of the franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

## Key dates

* August 19: The 2007 PBA draft took place in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig.

## Draft picks

| Round | Pick | Player | Height | Position | Nationality | College |
| 2 | 15 | Jojo Duncil | 6'1" | Guard | Philippines | UST |

## Season
### Philippine Cup
#### Team standings

| Pos | Teamvte | W | L | PCT | GB | Qualification |
| 1 | Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants | 12 | 6 | .667 | — | Advance to semifinals |
| 2 | Sta. Lucia Realtors | 12 | 6 | .667 | — | Advance to semifinals |
| 3 | Alaska Aces | 11 | 7 | .611 | 1 | Advance to quarterfinals |
| 4 | Red Bull Barako | 11 | 7 | .611 | 1 | Advance to quarterfinals |
| 5 | Magnolia Beverage Masters | 10 | 8 | .556 | 2 | Advance to quarterfinals |
| 6 | Talk 'N Text Phone Pals | 9 | 9 | .500 | 3 | Advance to wildcard round |
| 7 | Barangay Ginebra Kings | 8 | 10 | .444 | 4 | Advance to wildcard round |
| 8 | Air21 Express | 7 | 11 | .389 | 5 | Advance to wildcard round |
| 9 | Coca-Cola Tigers | 7 | 11 | .389 | 5 | Advance to wildcard round |
| 10 | Welcoat Dragons | 3 | 15 | .167 | 9 | |
* 1 2 Head-to-head record: Purefoods 2–0 Sta. Lucia
* 1 2 Head-to-head record: Alaska 1–1 Red Bull (Alaska +29)
* 1 2 Head-to-head record: Air21 2–0 Coca-Cola

#### Schedule

| | Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 2 |
| Team ╲ Game | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| Air21 Express | MBM | ALA | RBB | Coke | SLR | PF | BGK | TNT | RBB | WEL | BGK | ALA | PF | TNT | Coke | MBM | WEL | SLR |
| Alaska Aces | TNT | A21 | Coke | BGK | WEL | MBM | RBB | PF | WEL | Coke | BGK | SLR | A21 | SLR | MBM | RBB | TNT | PF |
| Barangay Ginebra Kings | RBB | TNT | WEL | ALA | PF | SLR | A21 | MBM | Coke | WEL | ALA | A21 | SLR | MBM | Coke | PF | RBB | TNT |
| Coca-Cola Tigers | WEL | ALA | MBM | A21 | PF | SLR | TNT | BGK | ALA | SLR | RBB | MBM | WEL | BGK | A21 | PF | RBB | TNT |
| Magnolia Beverage Masters | A21 | SLR | PF | Coke | TNT | ALA | WEL | BGK | RBB | PF | TNT | RBB | Coke | BGK | ALA | A21 | SLR | WEL |
| Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants | SLR | TNT | MBM | WEL | BGK | Coke | A21 | RBB | ALA | SLR | MBM | TNT | WEL | A21 | BGK | Coke | ALA | RBB |
| Red Bull Barako | BGK | WEL | A21 | SLR | TNT | ALA | PF | MBM | TNT | A21 | Coke | MBM | SLR | WEL | ALA | BGK | Coke | PF |
| Sta. Lucia Realtors | PF | MBM | TNT | RBB | A21 | BGK | Coke | WEL | PF | Coke | ALA | BGK | RBB | ALA | TNT | WEL | MBM | A21 |
| Talk 'N Text Phone Pals | ALA | PF | BGK | SLR | MBM | RBB | WEL | Coke | A21 | RBB | MBM | PF | WEL | A21 | SLR | ALA | BGK | Coke |
| Welcoat Dragons | Coke | RBB | BGK | PF | ALA | TNT | MBM | SLR | ALA | BGK | A21 | PF | TNT | Coke | RBB | SLR | A21 | MBM |

#### Bracket

| Wildcard phase (single elimination) | Wildcard phase (single elimination) | Wildcard phase (single elimination) | Wildcard phase (single elimination) | Wildcard phase (single elimination) | Wildcard phase (single elimination) | Quarterfinals (best-of-3) | Quarterfinals (best-of-3) | Quarterfinals (best-of-3) | Semifinals (best-of-7) | Semifinals (best-of-7) | Semifinals (best-of-7) | Finals (best-of-7) | Finals (best-of-7) | Finals (best-of-7) |
| 6 | Talk 'N Text | 73 | | | | | | | 3 | Alaska | 3 | |
| 9 | Coca-Cola | 81 | | | | 3 | Alaska | 2 | 2 | Sta. Lucia | 4 | |
| | | | 9 | Coca-Cola | 109 | 9 | Coca-Cola | 0 | | | | | | |
| | | | 8 | Air21 | 102 | | | | | | | 2 | Sta. Lucia | 4 |
| 7 | Brgy. Ginebra | 110 | | | | | | | | | | 1 | Purefoods | 3 |
| 8 | Air21 | 119 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 1 | Purefoods | 4 | Third place | Third place | Third place |
| | | | | | | 4 | Red Bull | 2 | 4 | Red Bull | 3 | | | |
| | | | | | | 5 | Magnolia | 0 | | 3 | Alaska | 104 |
| | | | | | | | | | | 4 | Red Bull | 125 |
* view
* talk

#### Quarterfinals: (4) Red Bull vs. (5) Magnolia

Elimination round games: Red Bull won both games, 94-88 and 107-95.
* ABC
* January 23
* Cuneta Astrodome, Pasay
* ABC
* January 25
Magnolia Beverage Masters 94, Red Bull Barako 112 :
* Red Bull wins series, 2–0 ||
* Cuneta Astrodome, Pasay
Magnolia and Red Bull renewed their playoffs rivalry with Red Bull forcing the upset, as Magnolia was rated as the top team during the preseason, with Red Bull being decimated by one-sided trades (ironically to Magnolia). Cyrus Baguio had a coming-out party as he scored a career-high 31 points to win Game 1 for the Bulls. Junthy Valenzuela outplayed former Red Bull players Lordy Tugade and Enrico Villanueva to sweep the Beverage Masters.
The Bulls now clinch their sixth consecutive semifinals appearance.

#### Semifinals: (1) Purefoods vs. (4) Red Bull

Elimination round games: Red Bull won both games, 87-74 and 97-84.
* ABC
* January 27
* Cuneta Astrodome, Pasay
* ABC
* January 30
* Cuneta Astrodome, Pasay
* ABC
* February 1
* Cuneta Astrodome, Pasay
* ABC
* February 3
* Cuneta Astrodome, Pasay
* ABC
* February 6
* Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City
* ABC
* February 8
* Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City
* ABC
* February 10
Red Bull Barako 71, Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants 83 :
* Purefoods wins series, 4–3 ||
* Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City
Purefoods, owing to a couple of weeks' rest blew out Red Bull which had defeated last season's finalists in Game 1. However, Red Bull came back in Game 2 to put up a defensive stand in the fourth quarter to tie the series, 2-2. Team captain Junthy Valenzuela kept the Giants at bay when they were making a run in the final minutes, scoring 2 crucial baskets. Purefoods then did their own pull-away at Game 3, crashing the boards at will; Marc Pingris rebounded a career-high 19 boards.
With a 1-3 series deficit looming, Red Bull again kept a pace with Purefoods in Game 4; however James Yap injured his groin in the first quarter after scoring ten points and didn't return. Purefoods managed to hold-off Red Bull until Cyrus Baguio drove to the basket after a pick-and-roll for an unmolested lay-up to tie the game 86-all. Peter June Simon missed his baseline jumper as time ran out to force overtime. In the extra period, Red Bull made an 11-2 run care of three pointers from Celino Cruz and Francis Adriano to tie the series once again.
After the injury to Yap, Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio announced prior to Game 5 that Yap would be day-to-day. However, Yap started on Game 5 and Purefoods raced to a 40-17 lead after the first quarter. Red Bull crept up the lead and eventually cut down the lead to two with a minute to go thanks to a trey from Mick Pennisi. In the ensuing possession, Pingris was fouled on the act of shooting; Pingris missed both of his freethrows to give Red Bull another chance. After the time out and with both teams in penalty, Valenzuela was fouled. Valenzuela converted the first but missed the second, which led to a Kerby Raymundo rebound that sealed the win for the Giants.
Needing to win twice in a row to enter the finals, Red Bull started Game 6 with a 20-1 blast that caught Purefoods flatfooted. The Bulls then cruised on, with Mike Hrabak and Pennisi shooting treys to tie the series for last time, at 3-all. However, Purefoods started out Game 7 strong but the Barakos answered every Giants run to keep pace; however, thanks to misses from the perimeter by Red Bull and Purefoods' transition defense, the Giants were able to clinch their league-leading 12th All-Filipino Cup finals appearance.

#### Third-place playoff

* ABC
* February 15
Alaska Aces 104, Red Bull Barako 125 :
* Red Bull wins 3rd place trophy. ||
* Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City

### Fiesta Conference
#### Team standings

| Pos | Teamvte | W | L | PCT | GB | Qualification |
| 1 | Air21 Express | 12 | 6 | .667 | — | Advance to semifinals |
| 2 | Red Bull Barako | 11 | 7 | .611 | 1 | Advance to semifinals |
| 3 | Barangay Ginebra Kings | 10 | 8 | .556 | 2 | Advance to quarterfinals |
| 4 | Coca-Cola Tigers | 10 | 8 | .556 | 2 | Advance to quarterfinals |
| 5 | Magnolia Beverage Masters | 10 | 8 | .556 | 2 | Advance to quarterfinals |
| 6 | Alaska Aces | 9 | 9 | .500 | 3 | Advance to wildcard round |
| 7 | Talk 'N Text Phone Pals | 9 | 9 | .500 | 3 | Advance to wildcard round |
| 8 | Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants | 8 | 10 | .444 | 4 | Advance to wildcard round |
| 9 | Sta. Lucia Realtors | 7 | 11 | .389 | 5 | Advance to wildcard round |
| 10 | Welcoat Dragons | 4 | 14 | .222 | 8 | |
* 1 2 3 Head-to-head differential: Barangay Ginebra +14, Coca-Cola +4, Magnolia −18
* 1 2 Head-to-head record: Alaska 1–1 Talk 'N Text (Alaska +9)

#### Schedule

| | Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 2 |
| Team ╲ Game | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| Air21 Express | WEL | RBB | PF | Coke | TNT | ALA | BGK | SLR | Coke | MBM | BGK | RBB | SLR | ALA | TNT | WEL | MBM | PF |
| Alaska Aces | SLR | BGK | MBM | WEL | RBB | A21 | TNT | PF | Coke | RBB | TNT | PF | A21 | WEL | SLR | Coke | MBM | BGK |
| Barangay Ginebra Kings | RBB | ALA | SLR | Coke | MBM | PF | A21 | TNT | WEL | A21 | MBM | RBB | SLR | PF | Coke | TNT | WEL | ALA |
| Coca-Cola Tigers | TNT | PF | WEL | A21 | BGK | SLR | RBB | MBM | ALA | A21 | RBB | WEL | PF | TNT | BGK | MBM | ALA | SLR |
| Magnolia Beverage Masters | PF | SLR | ALA | TNT | BGK | WEL | RBB | Coke | PF | A21 | BGK | TNT | WEL | RBB | SLR | Coke | A21 | ALA |
| Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants | MBM | Coke | A21 | RBB | WEL | BGK | ALA | MBM | TNT | SLR | ALA | Coke | WEL | BGK | RBB | TNT | SLR | A21 |
| Red Bull Barako | BGK | A21 | TNT | PF | ALA | Coke | MBM | SLR | WEL | ALA | Coke | A21 | BGK | MBM | PF | WEL | TNT | SLR |
| Sta. Lucia Realtors | ALA | MBM | BGK | TNT | Coke | WEL | RBB | A21 | TNT | WEL | PF | A21 | BGK | MBM | ALA | PF | Coke | RBB |
| Talk 'N Text Phone Pals | Coke | WEL | RBB | MBM | SLR | A21 | ALA | WEL | BGK | SLR | PF | ALA | MBM | Coke | A21 | PF | BGK | RBB |
| Welcoat Dragons | A21 | TNT | Coke | ALA | PF | MBM | SLR | TNT | RBB | BGK | SLR | Coke | MBM | PF | ALA | A21 | RBB | BGK |

#### Bracket

| Wildcard phase (Single elimination) | Wildcard phase (Single elimination) | Wildcard phase (Single elimination) | Wildcard phase (Single elimination) | Wildcard phase (Single elimination) | Wildcard phase (Single elimination) | Quarterfinals (Best-of-3) | Quarterfinals (Best-of-3) | Quarterfinals (Best-of-3) | Semifinals (Best-of-7) | Semifinals (Best-of-7) | Semifinals (Best-of-7) | Finals (Best-of-7) | Finals (Best-of-7) | Finals (Best-of-7) |
| 6 | Alaska | 85 | | | | | | | 3 | Brgy. Ginebra | 4 | |
| 9 | Sta. Lucia | 99 | | | | 3 | Brgy. Ginebra | 2 | 2 | Red Bull | 0 | |
| | | | 9 | Sta. Lucia | 111 | 9 | Sta. Lucia | 0 | | | | | | |
| | | | 7 | Talk 'N Text | 96 | | | | | | | 3 | Brgy. Ginebra | 4 |
| 7 | Talk 'N Text | 98 | | | | | | | | | | 1 | Air21 | 3 |
| 8 | Purefoods | 83 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 1 | Air21 | 4 | Third place | Third place | Third place |
| | | | | | | 4 | Coca-Cola | 1 | 5 | Magnolia | 2 | | | |
| | | | | | | 5 | Magnolia | 2 | | 2 | Red Bull | 102 |
| | | | | | | | | | | 5 | Magnolia | 90 |
* view
* talk

#### Semifinals: (2) Red Bull vs. (3) Barangay Ginebra

* ABC
* July 20
* Cuneta Astrodome, Pasay
* ABC
* July 23
* Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City
* ABC
* July 25
* Ynares Center, Antipolo
* ABC
* July 27
Barangay Ginebra Kings 101, Red Bull Barako 97 (OT) :
* Barangay Ginebra wins series, 4–0 ||
* Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City

#### Third place playoff

* ABC
* August 6
Red Bull Barako 102, Magnolia Beverage Masters 90 :
* Scoring by quarter: 28-22, 15-26, 27-37, 20-17 ||
* Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City

## Transactions
### Trades

| 2007 | To Red Bull Barako Rommel Adducul | To San Miguel Beermen Enrico Villanueva |
| 2007 | To Red Bull Barako Chris Calaguio, Francis Adriano, Brandon Cablay | To San Miguel Beermen Larry Fonacier |
| 2007 | To Red Bull Barako Don Camaso | To Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants Rommel Adducul, Brandon Cablay |

### Additions

| Player | Signed | New team |
| Carlo Sharma | 2006 | Shell Turbo Chargers |

### Subtractions

| Player | New team |
| EJ Feihl | Welcoat Dragons |
| Migs Noble | Talk 'N Text Phone Pals |