Hotshots up against favored Beermen anew

We just put our heads down and kept fighting.

This was how the veteran Rafi Reavis summed up the incredible stand by the Magnolia Hotshots in turning back the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in a classic Game 7 duel to reach the Finals of the PBA Philippine Cup for the second straight season on Sunday.

The Hotshots rallied from 17 points down at 39-22 midway in the third, blew a chance to win in regulation before ousteadying the Elasto Painters in the extension to prevail, 63-60, and forge another best-of-seven title showdown with heavily favored San Miguel Beer starting Wednesday.

The 6-foot-8 Reavis, at 41 among the few still reliable senior players in the league, was a key factor as Magnolia finally survived the No. 2 team in the eliminations.

Rain or Shine won the first two games of the semifinal series with Magnolia visibly spent from its quarterfinal meeting with Barangay Ginebra. The Hotshots then bounced back to win the next three games, but the Elasto Painters forced a rubber match with a masterful conquest in Game 6.

Reavis dominated both boards to finish with 20 rebounds while joining forces with Ian Sangalang, who came alive in the last quarter to give Magnolia a 55-52 lead going into the last two minutes.

Despite the heroics of Reavis and Sangalang, experts predict easy sailing for the defending champion Beermen in their quest for a fifth straight all-Filipino title and a 26th crown overall against their sister team in the SMC franchise.

After scrambling past the TNT KaTropa in their best-of-three quarterfinal series, the Beermen leaned on their deeper and more experienced bench to oust the Phoenix Pulse Fuel Masters in five games of their semifinal showdown Thursday.

Phoenix, the tournament’s revelation after topping the one-round eliminations with a 9-2 win-loss record, found SMB a different foe in the semis and managed to win just the third game after dropping the first two encounters of what turned out to be a bruising series.