Fueled by the bitter taste of Sunday’s overtime defeat in Game Three, the Elasto Painters raced on all cylinders, blowing out the Tigers,110-95, to level at 2-2 their PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
“We needed to step on the gas,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao. “Kailangan nakatapak ka lagi sa pedal kasi pag nag-relax ka, kakanin ka ng Powerade.”
Jeff Chan had 19 points and Paul Lee added 15 while three other Painters were also in double figures, complementing a clamped-down defense that forced the Tigers to miss 54 of 84 shots, including 19 of 32 triples.
David had his sixth straight 30-point game, hitting 10 in the fourth quarter. But the Powerade fireball was just 5 of 14 from 3-point range and 4 of 9 from within, numbers that were anything but fiery compared to his previous scorching performances.
“Pure and simple, we were outplayed,” said Powerade mentor Bo Perasol. “Their backs were against the wall and maybe they were really motivated. There’s nothing technical about it. We were outhustled, outplayed.”
Rain or Shine came prepared for Powerade’s zone.
“We knew we were going to see that defense again and we were ready,” said Guiao, adding in jest. “We didn’t shoot 10 percent this time. Siguro mga 11 percent naman ngayon.”
Sensing perhaps that another costly mistake as in Game Three would have direr consequences, the Elasto Painters came up with their finest performance so far, burying the Tigers in the second half.
From a 53-45 halftime lead, built on the strength of a defensive stand that forced Powerade to miss 28 of 43 shots, including 13 three-point attempts, the Elasto Painters broke the game open, 79-61, on the way to several 20-point spreads early in the fourth.
David went 2 of 8 from beyond the arc in the first half, Marcio Lassiter 0 for 6 overall, and Romel Adducul 0 for 4, the Tigers’ fire extinguished after that 104-99 overtime victory last Sunday.
Chan and JR Quinahan each had five points, including a triple apiece, during a 14-3 run that opened a 69-50 advantage midway in the third period where Powerade’s shooting woes continued.
Drained from Rain or Shine’s relentless attack, the Tigers went 6 of 23 in the quarter and the Elasto Painters picked up a 12 points off seven Powerade turnovers.
The other semifinal matchup, meanwhile, goes into a critical stage when Petron Blaze guns for a 3-1 lead over defending champion Talk ‘N Text at 6:45 tonight at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Only two teams have come back after trailing 1-3 and the Tropang Texters are expected to throw caution to the wind to avert falling into that dilemma against the team which denied them a Grand Slam finish last season.
TNT won the series opener, 87-83. But Petron took the next two games, 91-89 and 95-93, the second fashioned after Alex Cabagnot buried a top-of-the-key 3-point shot with 12 seconds remaining in Game Three to cap an incredible comeback from 20 points down last Sunday.
Scores:
RAIN OR SHINE 110 – Chan 19, Lee 15, Matias 12, Norwood 11, Belga 10, Tang 9, Quinahan 9, Rodriguez 6, Buenafe 6, Arana 5, Cruz 4, Ibanes 4, Uyloan 0, Jaime 0.
POWERADE 95 – David 30, Lassiter 18, Kramer 12, Anthony 11, Casio 9, Vanlandingham 7, Lingganay 4, Adducul 2, Antonio 2, Martinez 0, Allera 0, Cruz 0, Crisano 0.
Quarters: 25-21, 53-45, 79-61, 110-95
Game Wednesday (Smart-Araneta Coliseum)
6:45 p.m. – Petron vs Talk ‘N Text
source: mb.com.ph
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