Saudi Gazette MANILA — The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters will be playing in the Finals of the PBA Commissioner's Cup as they knocked out the San Miguel Beermen, 124-99, for a 3-1 semifinals series victory Sunday night. Paul Lee flashed his old deadly form before being sidelined by knee injuries early in the season, finishing with a team-high 18 points on 6-for-9 (66-percent) shooting. He also had a team-high five assists, two boards, and two steals in 23 minutes off the bench. Five other Painters scored in double digits in a show of balanced firepower. Import Pierre Henderson-Niles had 15 points, 14 rebounds and four steals. Gabe Norwood also had 15 markers, including three treys, while Chris Tiu added 13 points. Jericho Cruz and Raymond Almazan chipped in with 12 and 10 markers, respectively. The fifth-seeded ROS will play the winner of the Alaska vs. Meralco series, which currently stands at 2-1 in favor of the Aces. If the Aces win Monday's Game 4 to finish off the Bolts, Game 1 of the Finals will be Wednesday. Otherwise, the Finals begin Friday. The Painters will be making their sixth Finals appearance in the league. They were also in the Finals of last season's Commissioner's Cup but lost the series to the Talk N Text Tropang Texters. Sunday's victory was the first time ROS defeated SMB in three straight semifinal appearances. After failing to knock off the Beermen in Game 3 Thursday, despite SMB opting to play all-Filipino, the Painters made sure the series would not be extended into a deciding Game 5 as they pulled away in the second quarter, took a 19-point halftime advantage, and led by as many as 26 points in the fourth quarter in a lopsided game. The victory was all the more emphatic as SMB played at full strength backed up by returning import Arizona Reid, who paced the Beermen with 25 points. However, he shot only 12-for-31 (38-percent) as he struggled in his first game back in the league having arrived from the United States just hours before game time. He replaced Tyler Wilkerson who was given the pink slip after his emotional outburst following a Game 2 loss. Marcio Lassiter added 20 points, including five three-pointers, before fouling out early in the fourth quarter. Alex Cabagnot and June Mar Fajardo added 18 and 12 markers, respectively. Game Monday: Alaska Aces vs. Meralco Bolts (Game 4 of best-of-5 semifinals; Alaska leads 2-1).
