E-Painters drub Coffee Mixers to take 2-1 lead
Heading into their Game 3 against San Mig Coffee, coach Yeng Guiao was looking for “a nice Christmas gift.” Rain or Shine gave more than what he asked for Tuesday night.
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Banking on an unstoppable rampage in the second quarter, the Elasto Painters quickly got their bearings back by defeating the Mixers with ease, essaying a lopsided 98-72 decision for a 2-1 lead in their semifinals series in the PBA Philippine Cup at the MOA Arena.
Paul Lee bounced back from a listless outing in Game 2 with 15 points to lead six other teammates with eight markers each as the Painters redeemed themselves from a numbing 82-106 defeat last Friday also at the Pasay-based venue.
Jervy Cruz added 14 markers while Jeff Chan, Larry Rodriguez and Gabe Norwood combined for 36 markers for Rain or Shine, which outscored SanMig Coffee 33-15 to turn a slim 18-17 advantage in the opening canto into a whopping 51-32 at the break.
“I just told the guys, let’s us give ourselves, our families, our friends and our fans a nice Christmas gift,” Guiao related. ““It’s also a way to redeem ourselves from that embarrassing loss the last time. This is the best way to rebound after that lopsided.”
The Painters’ defense also made a big difference, holding the Mixers to just 38 percent (30-of-79) shooting from the field, a far cry from San Mig Coffee’s sizzling Game 2 outing of 50.6 percent (40-of-79).
Rain or Shine also held its own in the paint, controlling the boards 53-46 to offset the taller SanMig Coffee frontline.
PJ Simon came off the bench and fired 22 points but ace guard James Yap, fresh from a 34-point output the last time out, was held down to just 11 points on a horrendous 1-of-11 shooting from the field.
After getting frustrated in Game 2 that led to his ejection, Guiao noted the Painters stuck to their gameplan, saying: “Our main purpose coming into the game was just to stay in the game mentally and not get frustrated as what happened last game.”
“And the game plan just fell into place. We get the rebounds. And as long as we get the rebounds, we get into open court. We like fastbreaks, we like up-tempo game. That’s the objective,” he added.
After sizing up the Mixers in the first 12 minutes, the Painters unleashed a balanced attack, uncorking a 27-13 run capped by a Cruz jumper off a Chris Tiu feed for a 45-30 cushion.
Far from done, Rain or Shine continued to rub salt on SanMig Coffee’s wounds, leading by as many as 22 points–the last at a 72-50 count late in the third–before holding an insurmountable 98-70 cushion off Rodriguez’s back-to-back jumpers, with a minute left to play.
Despite the masterful win, Guiao refused to be swayed, saying: “Game Four should be the biggest game in the series. I think if we can go up 3-1, we’ll have one foot in the door (on the finals).”
“The burden of adjustments shifts to San Mig Coffee,” he added.
Game 4 is set this Thursday also at the MOA Arena.
