PBA: San Mig Coffee holds off Rain or Shine late to take Finals game three

(Updated 10:10pm) The San Mig Coffee Mixers dodged a potential game-winning triple from Jeff Chan to claim game three over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 77-76, in the PLDT MyDSL 2014 PBA Philippine Cup Finals, Wednesday, at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

The Mixers, leading 2-1 in the series, dealt Rain or Shine their first back-to-back losses since mid-December. On December 8 and 17, the Elasto Painters dropped two games against the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters and GlobalPort Batang Pier by a combined five points.

PJ Simon led the Mixers with 14 points, while birthday celebrant Joe Devance had 13 points including six of his side's last eight, nine rebounds and four assists. James Yap also tallied 13 points and five rebounds, and second overall pick Ian Sangalang added 12 points and five rebounds. Marc Pingris had just seven points but logged eight rebounds and five assists, four coming in the crucial run to end the fourth quarter.

"What an awesome game, that was a tough one to be a part of, I'm still shaking right now. It was a back-and-forth game," said Mixers Coach Tim Cone after the game.

Cone credited his players for fighting back despite trailing for most of the game, and highlighted three-pointers from Simon and Alex Mallari to end the first half. "We weren't playing well in the first half, and sometimes you have to make a couple of big shots to stay in it."

Rain or Shine led by five midway through the fourth but the Mixers wore them down as Pingris' playmaking picked them apart, while his defense held the Elasto Painters to just one bucket in the last four-plus minutes of the game. Rain or Shine had possession with ten seconds left and a chance to win, but it was Pingris too who forced Jeff Chan to settle for a long three-pointer with time winding down.

"Ping made some brilliant passes down the stretch in the post. I told him sometime in the fourth we had to get him down on the block and we need a threat down there," said Cone. "He was hitting Joe with nice cuts to the basket and that kept their defense honest against Ping."

San Mig Coffee went to the low block during the first quarter, setting up PJ Simon and Marc Pingris for baskets. On the other end, JR Quiñahan and Jireh Ibañes carried a sputtering offense for Rain or Shine, as the Elasto Painters struggled to convert on the drive while trailing, 15-11. However, Paul Lee went on a tear in the last two minutes, scoring seven of Rain or Shine's last nine points, including the key three-pointer that sparked his team's rally, to lead 20-19.

Rain or Shine eventually bucked the Mixers' stiff defense in the second quarter and created space inside. Jeff Chan and Larry Rodriguez operated in the paint and had eight points in a 10-5 swing, 30-24.

The Elasto Painters stretched the lead to nine, 39-30, after Lee drew Pingris' third foul and converted two charities with 1:35 left. But the San Mig Coffee guards quickly made up for lost time as Mark Barroca replied with a floater, while Simon and Alex Mallari drilled a triple each to cut the deficit to one at the half, 39-38.

Mixer James Yap was whistled for three quick fouls early in the first quarter, which led to him sitting out the entirety of the second period. Prior to Pingris getting his third foul, Elasto Painters center Beau Belga was called for the same amount of offenses, sending him to the bench.

Despite playing just 15 minutes, Paul Lee has already notched 14 points to lead all scorers. PJ Simon meanwhile is the only San Mig Coffee player in double figures, dropping 10 markers.

The Elasto Painters scored a whopping 12 points off 10 miscues by the Mixers.

When play resumed, Rain or Shine immediately went on an 11-4 blast, moving the ball around the perimeter to find good looks for Jeff Chan while Jervy Cruz went to work in the post.

James Yap came to the Mixers' rescue, cutting to the basket for layup and getting a couple of jumpers, for 11 of their next 15 points. With 2:32 to play, Ian Sangalang tied the game up for San Mig Coffee, 57-57, with a floater in the lane. Both teams traded baskets down the stretch, but the Mixers failed to complete a pair of and-ones that led to them falling behind, 64-63, heading into the fourth quarter.

After trailing by five, the Mixers stormed back to lead for the first time since the opening period. Pingris found Joe Devance and Alex Mallari cutting to the basket on four consecutive possessions, capping a 12-4 rally, 77-74.

With under two minutes to play, Rafi Reavis tried to call a timeout while falling out of bounds, but the referee called a turnover instead. The extra possession allowed Cruz to score a layup on the other end to trim the lead to one. However, the Mixers made up for it on the next possession by forcing a shot clock violation.

San Mig Coffee was  unable to convert on offense anew, and gave the ball back to the Elasto Painters with 10.6 seconds left. With the game on the line, San Mig Coffee stayed home and denied any penetration, with Pingris finally forcing Chan to chuck up a miss from 30 feet.

The Mixers shot the ball well, converting 32-of-70 (45.7 percent) from the floor and out-rebounding Rain or Shine, 49-39. The Elasto Painters went 30-of-74 (40.5 percent) from the floor, including just 5-of-24 (20.5 percent) from beyond the arc. They did take better care of the ball and forced San Mig Coffee into 21 turnovers while committing just 13, leading to a 21-9 advantage in turnover points.

Paul Lee logged a game-high 23 points, while Jeff Chan and Jervy Cruz added 11 and 10 points, respectively. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

San Mig Coffee 77 - Simon 14, Devance 13, Yap 13, Sangalang 12, Barroca 8, Pingris 7, Mallari 5, Reavis 4, Melton 1, De Ocampo 0

Rain or Shine 76 - Lee 23, Chan 11, Cruz 10, Almazan 7, Belga 6, Rodriguez 6, Quinahan 5, Norwood 4, Tiu 2, Ibanes 2, Tang 0, Teng 0

Quarter scoring: 19-20, 38-39, 63-64, 77-76