FOURTH STRAIGHT FINAL FOUR FOR RAIN OR SHINE
ARIZONA Reid may be the shortest import right now in the PBA Governors Cup, but his game is certainly one of the biggest.
Reid showcased this anew in spearheading Rain or Shine’s torrid start that led to a 111-90 walk-in-the-park victory over Air21 Wednesday and into the PLDT Home Telpad-sponsored tourney’s semifinals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Just like what he did in a recent victory over San Mig Super Coffee, Reid led the Elasto Painters’ early surge with 22 of his 30 points before the locals took over in repeatedly stifling the Express’ attempts at a fightback from as much as a 23-point deficit.
“AZ is consistent on both ends,” said Rain or Shine head coach Guiao of the 6-3 Best Import awardee in the same conference three years ago.
“He may be one of the shortest imports, but we rely on his defense, rebounding and scoring. He’s also passing the ball so it’s a good choice for us to bring him back. He’s a lot better this year. More mature, more consistent in shots, and bigger in his body.”
As a result, Rain or Shine did not let its No. 2 ranking go to waste by needing just one game to boot out seventh-seeded Air21 and advancing to its fourth straight semifinals stint and fifth in the last six conferences.
But for Rain or Shine, the run goes on.
“We were carried by our momentum, I guess,” said Guiao after his team stretched its winning streak to a tournament-best six. “We were ready to play a hard endgame, but, surprisingly, we were able to break away.”
His charges’ ability to not only hold their own against the bigger Express but also make the stops when it mattered pleases Guiao the most.
“Our defense was consistent and I think that’s what’s been carrying us in this last half of the conference,” noted Guiao.
“We’re getting opportunities, through their turnovers, our transition. It helps us get into our rhythm and that’s our real secret, playing hard defense every time.”
Just getting this far after a 1-3 start in the tourney also speaks volumes about his team and management, pointed out Guiao.
“Four straight conferences where we’re in the semis. That’s already a big accomplishment for us. We’re not one of the high-profile or big-spending teams, but we get in the playoffs or semis quite often. To me, that’s a big accomplishment for our organization,” stated Guiao.
Reid also wound up with 11 rebounds and six assists with Paul Lee adding 14 points which he highlighted with back-to-back triples that sparked Rain or Shine’s fiery windup from a 97-85 count.
Larry Rodriguez and Ryan Arana each scored at least 11 points for the E-Painters, who now await the winner of the other quarterfinals pairing between No. 3 Alaska and sixth-seed Ginebra, where the Aces also enjoy a win-once advantage.
Dominique Sutton finished with game-highs of 35 points and 18 rebounds, on top of six assists, but he was the lone bright spot for Air21 in its bid to overhaul a 50-73 deficit.
Eloy Poligrates scored a career-high 18 points but only two in the second half while Aldrech Ramos scattered 11 of his 16 points in the fourth, and Asi Taulava had a short stab to make it a 12-point game, still 5:02 left in the game.
Then Lee knocked one in from way beyond the left elbow and followed that up with another trey from the left corner to virtually take the fight out of the Express.
Reid went 9-for-9 from the field, including 4-for-4 from beyond the arc, and already had 22 points at the half in stoking Rain or Shine’s charge to an early 21-4 lead and a 55-45 spread at the turn.
Yet the Express remained within striking distance, mainly due to Poligrates’ coming off the bench to scatter 16 points in 15 minutes and Sutton shaking off a listless start to score eight of his 12 first half points in the second period.
Air21 had nobody else to blame after starting the game shooting 1-for-9 from the field and committing two turnovers. (NC)
The scores: (Click HERE for full boxscores)
RAIN OR SHINE 111 – Reid 30, Lee 14, Rodriguez 12, Arana 11, Norwood 9, Nuyles 7, Tiu 6, Chan 6, Belga 5, Teng 5, Ibanes 4, Uyloan 2, Cruz 0, Almazan 0.
AIR21 90 – Sutton 35, Poligrates 18, Ramos 16, Taulava 11, Anthony 5, Yeo 3, Cardona 2, Borboran 0, Villanueva J. 0, Burtscher 0, Menor 0, Camson 0, Atkins 0.
Quarterscores: 30-21, 55-45, 83-64, 111-90
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
