Jay R. Gotera Saudi Gazette MANILA — With speed and fresher legs, the Painters are now on the threshold of a much-coveted championship. The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters clinched their semifinals series of the PBA Philippine Cup with a masterful demolition of the San Mig Coffee Mixers, 90-83, Thursday in Game 6 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. The Painters now await the winner of the Talk N Text Tropang Texters vs. Alaska Aces series. Game 6 of that duel is set for Friday with Talk N Text ahead 3-2, needing just a win to join Rain or Shine in the best-of-seven Finals beginning on Jan. 9. Regaining his shooting touch after a frigid showing the last time out, Rain or Shine top gunner Jeff Chan exploded for 27 points to lead his team into a second straight appearance in a PBA championship round. Rain or Shine won last season's import-reinforced Governors' Cup against B-Meg, the former name of the same team it vanquished Thursday. Paul Lee, who was also ice-cold in Game 5, likewise caught fire in Game 6, scoring 15 points. In sharp contrast, San Mig Coffee hotshot James Yap got stuck in the freezer for a third game, finishing with just six points on 2-of-15 shooting. Peter June Simon led San Mig Coffee, finishing with 29 points, 18 of them in the first half. But more than having two explosive players in Chan and Lee, Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao credited the win to his players' fresher legs owing to their longer rotation. Just like in their previous games, Guiao used his full roster of 12 players against a tired San Mig Coffee squad that once again opted for a shorter rotation of players. “We had a very simple game plan: to keep running the whole game, keep the pace fast,” said Guiao. “It worked. I felt that after one, one-and-a-half quarters, they (Mixers) will tire out. And they did tire out.” Guiao also credited their win to luck. “We're really just lucky that their guys don't explode at the same time. James (Yap) was really struggling again,” said Guiao. The Mixers actually were dictating the tempo of the game in the first half which they ended with a 52-48 advantage. But fatigue appeared to take its toll on the Mixers after halftime as the Painters put on the speed and tightened their defense to take a 71-68 lead at the end of the third quarter. After the Mixers managed to knot the count at 73-73 early in the fourth quarter, the Painters unleashed a crippling 11-0 run to take an 84-73 lead capped by a Chan layup with 4:27 remaining. Using their last burst of energy, the Mixers rallied to cut the lead to 80-84 after a layup by Simon. But the Painters quickly struck back as Jervy Cruz scored on a three-point play, stopping the Mixers on their tracks with a minute and a half to go. The Rain or Shine head coach said he was greatly relieved to win Game 6. “It's either we finish them off in Game Six, or they finish us off in Game Seven. If this series had gone to Game Seven, our chances of winning would be really low,” said Guiao who will be making his third appearance in an all-Filipino conference. An all-Filipino crown is the only missing piece from Guiao's collection of six PBA championships. The Rain or Shine coach has been to the finals of the PBA Philippine Cup twice, and each time his team fell to the Purefoods franchise. San Mig Coffee forward Marc Pingris admitted that they lost to a better team. “Coach Yeng did a better job defensively. He's good in reading situations, that's why his team did well in the series, especially on defense,” Pingris said after the game. Pingris cited Rain or Shine's defense as the key factor in the series. “They have a good switching strategy. They trap James (Yap) and PJ (Simon), that's why we were forced to play one-on-one,” he said.
