BOWLES RETURNS BUT RAIN OR SHINE STILL ROUTS SAN MIG COFFEE
IT took a while before Rain or Shine noticed San Mig Coffee balik-import Denzel Bowles was not his usual self.
Once the realization set in, however, the Elasto Painters fully went all out in fashioning a 93-65 rout of the skidding defending champion Friday in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Jervy Cruz led a balanced attack by Rain or Shine, but its second straight win could also be credited on Bowles playing not even a shade of his old imposing self.
“It’s just San Mig’s off-night,” said Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao after the game that turned out the most lopsided outcome yet in the mid-season tourney.
“We got what we were hoping for, which is Bowles not being in good shape,” he added, referring to last year’s Best Import of this very same tourney.
Had the old Bowles, who averaged 26.3 points and 12.5 rebounds in leading the team then known as B-Meg to the title, showed up Guiao said they still had plans.
“We assumed he would play his usual game, which was posting up and stepping out and scoring,” said Guiao. “We planned to help out, sag, show some. But he’s still out of shape.”
It clearly showed. Bowles scored 12 points and snared a game-high 14 rebounds but most of his points came when the game has long been decided.
Rain or Shine counterpart Bruno Sundov only had 14 points and 11 rebounds, but he need not really put in extra efforts and Guiao even opted to sit the 7-2 Croatian out in the game’s last 14 minutes.
Alex Mallari scored a career-high 15 points and James Yap 13, but fellow support crew members PJ Simon, Joe Devance and Marc Pingris combined for only 10 points as San Mig remained winless after three outings.
With Rain or Shine’s offense humming and San Mig’s sputtering, the difference even got stretched to a high of 93-59 before the E-Painters followed up their 91-82 victory over Meralco last Saturday and caught Talk ‘N Text at 2-1.
In the end, however, San Mig got hurt more since the loss was eerily reminiscent of Game 3 of their Philippine Cup semifinals series last Dec. 26, when Rain or Shine won by 26.
Prior to Friday’s game, the Mixers also owned the previous worst loss, a 73-98 thrashing from Petron Blaze last Feb. 13.
San Mig made just 25 of 71 field goal attempts, missed eight charity tries and got outrebounded, 63-44, for the conference-low output and worst by the franchise in nearly five years, or since an 88-60 rout at the hands of Alaska in the 2008 Fiesta Conference.
It was also the Mixers’ most lopsided loss since a 92-63 defeat at the hands of Talk ‘N Text in the Philippine Cup Nov. 21 last year.
The E-Painters simply outplayed and outworked their opponents, making 25 fastbreak points and converting the Mixers’ 25 turnovers into a season-high 37 points.
Rain or Shine made sure this one would take the same one-sided route as early as the third period by outscoring San Mig, 30-14, and stretching a 36-31 halftime lead to 66-45.
San Mig was only in the game in the first 16 minutes, when it led by as much as 24-17.
By then, the realization that Bowles would hardly be a factor has fully kicked in and Rain or Shine used a 19-7 exchange to go up by five at the break. (NC)
The scores:
RAIN OR SHINE 93 – Cruz 16, Tiu 15, Sundov 14, Rodriguez 10, Ibanes 6, Lee 5, Matias 5, Norwood 5, Tang 4, Belga 4, Quinahan 4, Arana 3, Uyloan 2, Jaime 0.
SANMIG COFFEE 65 – Mallari 15, Yap 13, Bowles 12, Gonzales 8, Devance 4, Simon 4, Najorda 2, Pingris 2, Reavis 2, De Ocampo 2, Alvarez 1, Ponferada 0, Barroca 0, Pacana 0.
Quarterscores: 17-17, 36-31, 66-45, 93-65
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