McKines hopes E-Painters find right tweaks for Game 4

Az Reid vs Wendell McKines. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Even on the heels of another great shooting night, Wendell McKines emerged from the dugout with a different aura.

After all, Rain or Shine was on the brink of elimination from the 2015 PBA Governors’ Cup after a sorry 114-108 defeat to San Miguel Monday night.

READ: No collapse as San Miguel takes 2-1 lead over Rain or Shine

After posting 39 points on a 12-of-14 shooting from the field to go with 12 rebounds, a somber McKines couldn’t bear to look at his individual stats when his team is down 2-1 in the best-of-five series.

“We lost. Who cares?” he said.

San Miguel’s zone defense limited a blazing McKines to just six points in the payoff period, a far cry from the 24 points he scattered in the first half.

“They took the ball out of my hands with their zone, and it was effective,” he said of his uneventful final period showing. “They know they can’t guard me one-on-one. Hats off to them, good game plan. They know they can’t guard me one-on-one, guard us one-on-one.”

With the team facing criticisms of being too dependent on McKines alone, the reinforcement actually sees it otherwise.

“These are the best group of guys I’ve ever been around,” he said, though he dared his teammates to push harder in order for Rain or Shine to force a winner-take-all Game 5. “We all have to step up, we’re a team.”

But it’s a welcome challenge for McKines to roar stronger on Wednesday.

“We just have to find a way where I could keep on attacking cause what they want to do is to get the ball out of my hands. We can’t let them do that,” he said.
Though down in the series, McKines also added that his focus won’t change as Rain or Shine faces elimination on Game 4.

“Just playing basketball motivates me. I don’t care who I play against. My approach to the game doesn’t change. I want to play hard, play as smart as possible. I don’t care if it’s a Game 3, Game 4, or Game 90. I want to play hard,” he said.