San Mig Coffee’s Marc Pingris (left) rises to thwart a shot by Ginebra’s Jay-R Reyes during Game 5 of their PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven semifinals series at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Saturday. The Mixers won to take a 3-2 lead. AUGUST DELA CRUZ
MANILA, Philippines — With just a little opening, James Yap gave San Mig Coffee that little window it needs to upset top-seeded Barangay Ginebra in Game 4 of their PLDT MyDSL Philippine Cup Final Four series Saturday.
Yap, in the midst of one of the most documented shooting slumps in the league, drained the go-ahead triple with 13.4 seconds left to highlight a 79-76 Game 5 decision of the Gin Kings and a 3-2 lead in their semifinal series at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
That basket—set up perfectly by Mark Barroca—averted what would have been a massive implosion for the Mixers, who threw away a nine-point lead early in the fourth quarter and even trailed by one heading into the final 22.9 seconds.
It also gave the Mixers two chances to wrap up the best-of-seven duel and advance to the championship series opposite early qualifier Rain or Shine, which bundled out Petron Blaze, 4-1, in their Final Four tiff Friday.
“Nice pass by Mark and James got the shot,” said San Mig coach Tim Cone, who is seeking to win his first all-Filipino title with the Mixers since joining the squad over two seasons ago.
San Mig will try to wrap things up Monday at 8 p.m. also at the Big Dome.
Though no team has won back-to-back games in this series, San Mig will be a favorite even if the series goes the full route since Cone seems to have more or less countered Ginebra’s twin tower of Greg Slaughter and Japeth Aguilar while neutralizing premier point guard LA Tenorio.
The Mixers forced Tenorio to throw up two off-balanced layups inside the final seven seconds, dooming the Gin Kings—the elimination round topnotchers who have not tasted the lead in this series.
Barroca paced all San Mig shooters with 14 points and Yap, the former two-time MVP, became the fifth man in twin digits for Cone with that triple.
Chris Ellis led the Kings with 20 points capped by a fallaway jumper that gave them a 76-75 lead entering the final 22.9.
On the next play, Barroca, attracting Ginebra’s perimeter defense, then kicked out to Yap, who tossed what proved to be the game winner over Mac Baracael for 78-76.
Ginebra then bungled their next offensive when Tenorio’s layup hit nothing, and rookie Justin Melton—the revelation in these playoffs—iced the count.
The scores:
SAN MIG SUPER COFFEE 79—Barroca 14, Pingris 12, Simon 10, Reavis 310, Yap 10, Mallari 8, Devance 7, Sangalang 6, Melton 2.
GINEBRA 76—Ellis 20, Reyes 11, Aguilar 9, Slaughter 9, Tenorio 9, Caguioa 6, Baracael 5, Helterbrand 5, Mamaril 2, Monfort 0, Urbiztondo 0.
Quarters: 21-21, 46-44, 62-57, 79-76