SAN MIG COFFEE GRABS UPPERHAND, 2-1
Joe Devance scored six of his 13 points in the fourth quarter and San Mig Coffee beat Rain or Shine in a gripping defensive battle at the finish, carving out a 77-76 heart-stopper in Game Three of the PLDT MyDSL PBA Philippine Cup Finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Wednesday night.
Devance made San Mig’s last two baskets on Marc Pingris’ feeds as the Mixers surged ahead, 77-74, and hung on to seize the crucial 2-1 lead in the series.
The Mixers again dragged the E-Painters to a defensive duel and pulled through in holding Rain or Shine to a single basket in the last 3:54 of play.
“It’s an awesome game and it’s really fun to be part of. It’s tough on their part,” said Cone of the game marked by five deadlocks and 18 lead changes.
“It came down to the last possessions, and that’s really our goal,” Cone also said.
The Mixers stopped the E-Painters in their last two possessions and last two field attempts, the last one taken by Jeff Chan about 28 feet away from the basket.
The E-Painters had one final chance to salvage the game after James Yap missed his own three-point try with 11 seconds left to play.
San Mig Coffee, however, put up a stonewall defense on Rain or Shine’s final possession with Mark Barroca staying right in front of Paul Lee.
The E-Painters failed to execute their make-of-break play with Lee forced to kick the ball out to Chan with not much time to work on a decent shot.
Chan’s attempt was way off, sending the Mixers and their supporters to a frenzied celebration.
PJ Simon, Yap and Ian Sangalang were the other Mixers who scored in double figures while Pingris shone with seven points, eight rebounds and five assists.
“Ping came through with big baskets from the post the last time. Ping made brilliant passes from the post this time,” said Cone.
Lee, limited to 13 points in the series’ first two games, scattered a game-high 23 points in Game Three but failed to deliver when needed in the crunch.
In the tight, seesawing game, Rain or Shine led by one in each of the first three quarters.
Rain or Shine slowly opened a nine-point gap, 39-30, only to lose it quickly on San Mig Coffee’s eight-point flurry in the final minute of the first half.
Barroca beat the shot-clock buzzer with a one-hand floater then Simon and Mallari struck with back-to-back treys in the decisive run.
“Those back-to-back baskets were crucial for us,” said Cone. (SB)
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