or as a head coach before he beg off prior to the start of the Fiesta Conference. Still, the Express finished with a 10–8 record for fifth place in the standings with Shawn Daniels as import. At one point, Air21 was 7–3 before losing five of their last eight games, before beating San Miguel in a one-game playoff for the third outright quarterfinals berth. The Talk 'N Text Phone Pals defeated them in the quarters in a full three-game series, despite the Express' Game 1 victory. 2007–08 season The off season saw Air21 selecting Ateneo teammates JC Intal and Doug Kramer in the first round while nabbing Marvin Cruz in the second round of the 2007 PBA Draft. The buzz about Jaworski coaching the team once again came to light but the 'Living Legend' did not made any decision on it. This kept Perasol as head coach for the 2007–08 season. The Express had a rocky 2007-08 PBA Philippine Cup, finishing the elimination round with a 7–11 record, tied for 8th (they were eventually seeded 8th since they had beaten the team they were tied with, the Coca-Cola Tigers, in the elimination round twice). In the ensuing wildcard phase, the Express eliminated the defending champions Barangay Ginebra Kings, thanks to Wynne Arboleda's career-high 32 points. However, they were beaten by the Tigers in the last wildcard causing the team to be eliminated. In the 2008 PBA Fiesta Conference, the team, bannered by 6-ft 9-in hulking import Steve Thomas with Gary David and Arwind Santos, entered the Finals for the first time in franchise history. They then faced the crowd-darlings of Philippine basketball, the Barangay Ginebra Kings. During Game 1, Ginebra took the game via a 105–96 decision. The Express came roaring back in Game 2 by plastering the Kings to a 124–90 rout. Game 3 was also bagged by the Express. However, the Kings managed to tie the series in Game 4 with a 90–77 win. In Game 5, Air21 squeaked past the Kings with a 76–73 dogfight and a 3–2 advantage in the series. Needing only one game to win the series and the very first championship of the team, Air21 was prevented by a depleted lineup of the Kings due to injury, and forced a deciding Game 7 with an 80–75 victory in Game 6. And in Game 7, with all the cards in place, the two teams