Powerade, Petron try to seal unlikely title duel

INQUIRER Photo/ August dela Cruz

MANILA, Philippines—Powerade tries to arrange an unlikely title showdown with Petron for the PBA Philippine Cup when the Tigers and the Boosters shoot for the clinching fourth wins in their best-of-seven semifinal series against separate rivals Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Tigers gained a 3-2 edge over the Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters with a 110-108 squeaker last Friday and the tournament’s revelation try to close out the series and nail a first ever final slot at 6:30 p.m.

The Boosters get a second chance to reach the finals earlier at 4:15 p.m. when they tangle with the Talk ‘N Text Texters, who rallied to hack out a 93-91 squeaker also last Friday.

Powerade, the last to qualify in the playoffs, relied on prized rookies JV Casio and Marcio Lassiter to slip past the Painters, who lost their sharp shooting touch in Game 5.

But today’s match remains as much of a toss-up as the Petron-TNT duel.

On the brink of ousting the Tropang Texters, the Boosters suddenly lost their shooting touch in the dying seconds with Alex Cabagnot, Petron’s Game 3 hero, missing a wide open three-pointer with 32 seconds left before Arwind Santos launched a weak triple that barely touched the rim.

“It’s just a battle of survival for us. It’s a matter of who wants it more and getting the right breaks in the end,” said TNT coach Chot Reyes, who is trying to get back at Petron which spoiled his grand slam bid in the Governor’s Cup last August.

Power forward Kelly Williams, who had a swollen hamstring and pulled out in the early part of the second half, will sit out the remainder of the series as well as starting guard Ryan Reyes, who injured his wrist in Game 4.

“We just battled on pure guts without Kelly and Ryan. Those are the cards dealt to us, we just have to find ways to survive. They’re doubtful but you’ll never know,” said Reyes.

For Petron coach Ato Agustin, it’s still a battle of adjustments and proper game plan execution.

“They (Tropang Texters) have changed their pace. We have to check out the video clips again and make adjustments,” said Agustin.

The Elasto Painters not only lost their sharpness but also their defense which failed to stop the Tigers’ comeback in the last two minutes last Friday.

On the other end, Paul Lee, JR Quiñahan, Larry Rodriguez, Ronjay Buenafe, Jeff Chan and Beau Belga all failed to buy a bucket for Rain Or Shine, which was held scoreless in the last 1:17 of the game.

“It’s hard to tell if we could close the series tomorrow (today). Rain Or Shine is always capable of coming back. We’ll just play as if Game 6 is our last,” said Powerade coach Bo Perasol.