RAIN or Shine’s Raymond Almazan goes for a slam off Barako Bull’s JC Intal. AUGUST DELA CRUZ
RAIN or Shine couldn’t take care of Barako Bull in regulation after blowing a 25-point first half lead, needing two overtimes and a magical shot from Paul Lee in the final stretch to advance to the Final Four of the PBA Governors’ Cup.
Lee drove through the gut of the Energy’s defense, spun and then drilled in an off-balanced short stab over the outstretched hands of the 7-foot Liam McMorrow to lead the Elasto Painters to a 134-132 win for the second semifinal slot at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
That shot made Rain or Shine join No. 1 Alaska in the Final Four, the seventh straight time that the Painters will be playing for a slot in a championship series, a streak last achieved by Star from 2012 until the Hotshots completed a Grand Slam last season.
Rain or Shine will await the winner of the San Miguel Beer-Meralco series, which the Bolts took to a deciding game following a 106-99 victory in the nightcap.
The Bolts closed out with seven unanswered points to break a 99-all count, holding the ultra-loaded Beermen scoreless in the final three minutes to forge the rubber match scheduled tomorrow night at 7.
The ending was a far cry from the complexion the game took early, when Rain or Shine blitzed to a 22-9 start and led, 56-31 near the halfway mark of the second quarter.
But the Energy persevered, slowly nibbling away at that deficit to make a game out of it before having a clear shot at extending the series in the waning seconds of the first extension, only for RR Garcia to miss a layup for 124-all.
McMorrow, who forged the first overtime with a two-handed slam with 23.7 seconds left for 111-all, tied the game for the last time at 132 also with the same authoritative shot with 27.4 ticks remaining.
Barako Bull then played honest defense on Rain or Shine only for the talented Lee to find a way as the Energy defense scrambled to stop him which, ultimately left Willie Wilson bloodied after taking an accidental elbow from teammate McMorrow.
“We did not want it to go into a second game,” Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao said. “We thought we played well in the first half and thought that the game would be easy. We fell into a mental trap.”
Lee finished with 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, with Wendell McKines leading the Painters with 36 points and 15 rebounds in 50 minutes of action.
McMorrow tallied 32 points, 23 boards and two blocks but had only two free throws in the first overtime and that dunk in the second extension as the Rain or Shine defense worked hard to take him out of his sweet spot.
The scores
First Game
RAIN OR SHINE 134—McKines 36, Lee 23, Tiu 14, Chan 12, Arana 12, Belga 11, Norwood 8, Almazan 7, Quinahan 5, Tang 4, Cruz Jervy 2, Uyloan 0, Ibanes 0, Teng 0, Cruz Jericho 0.
BARAKO BULL 132—McMorrow 32, Garcia 25, Intal 16, Yeo 16, Wilson 16, Lanete 10, Pascual 8, Salva 4, Hubalde 2, Maierhofer 2, Chua 1, Ababou 0, Salvador 0.
Quarters: 35-16, 60-50, 86-73, 111-111, 124-124, 134-132
Second Game
MERALCO 106—Emmett 28, Dillinger 21, Nabong 15, Anthony 9, Hugnatan 9, David 9, Hodge 6, Ando 5, Cortez 4, Ildefonso 0, Ferriols 0.
SAN MIGUEL BEER 99—Fajardo 30, Reid 21, Lassiter 17, Tubid 15, Ross 6, Santos 5, Lutz 3, Cabagnot 2, Reyes 0, Espinas 0.
Quarters: 16-28, 50-49, 83-78, 106-99