IMPORTS Arizona Reid (left) of Rain or Shine and Marqus Blakely of San Mig Coffee renew their rivalry in tonight’s Game 2. EDWIN BELLOSILLO
MANILA, Philippines — Tim Cone knows he can’t expect the good fortune that went his way Tuesday night to bail San Mig Coffee again Thursday.
So he intends to send the Mixers to a hot start as they gun for a huge 2-0 lead over the Rain or Shine Elasto Pinters to all but put the PBA Governors’ Cup away and complete their march to league history.
Game time is 8 p.m. at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao with the Mixers enjoying all the momentum they need to push the Elasto Painters on cliff’s edge and move within another win of a cherished Grand Slam.
There have only been four Triple Crown sweeps in the past, with Cone authoring the last one 18 years ago while with Alaska.
And though he has refused—or tried to—talk about it, the Grand Slam is the ultimate prize awaiting his Mixers.
Rain or Shine, meanwhile, will lick its wounds and try to bounce back hard.
After blowing control in Game 1 in the fourth quarter, the Painters know that they could have easily drawn first blood and would have left the burden of adjustment on Cone and his gang going into Thursday’s crucial game.
Coach Yeng Guiao sounded cool after the non-call on a shooting Paul Lee which would have given the Painters a chance to forge overtime, for he knows deep in his heart that the Mixers are beatable.
“This is going to be a close series with close games, but if the referees don’t do their jobs as they are supposed to, I think it really diminishes the beauty of the series,” Guiao said.
Rain or Shine led by as many as 17 points in the third period several times only to allow the Mixers to come back with James Yap hitting the key shots inside the final minute that highlighted the controversial win.
A statement from the Office of the Commissioner said that the final play where Lee tried to fish a foul while shooting from the three-point area off Marc Pingris could have gone either way.
“It can be debated and second-guessed, but the referees’ judgment cannot be faulted under the circumstances,” said commissioner Chito Salud in a text message sent to media.
Rain or Shine did a lot of things right other than finish the game the way it wanted. The Painters held Marqus Blakely beyond his scoring average and even had Yap struggling for the first three periods.
Lee was also phenomenal when the Painters broke away in the second quarter, but he may have returned to the game—with just over seven minutes left after a long rest and the Mixers mounting a rally—a tad too late.