Coach Cone was a little bit surprised his wards came out so energetic, but he certainly didn’t mind the result — a big Game 2 win that evened the Finals series, 1-1. Thanks to the hot start of reliable tow-guard PJ Simon, the Mixers were able to erect an early 14-4 lead that set the tone for the remainder of the match. SMC just played keep-away for the entire game and comfortably pocketed their first W in the best-of-seven affair. Simon shot a total of 7/12 from the field to finish with 15 points on top of 3 rebounds.
Sometimes playing 14 guys can backfire, and, in a way, that’s what we saw with Rain or Shine here. With nobody outside of Jeff Chan playing more than 26 minutes, the Painters weren’t really able to get anybody going. Chan did finish with a game-high 18 points on the strength of 4 triples, but nobody else on the ROS roster tossed in more than 8 markers. What’s worse is that it looks like spitfire guard Ryan Araña might miss Game 3 because of what appeared ot be a broken collarbone. This is definitely going to be a big development, since Araña has been effective so far in the conference playoffs. He normed around 10 points and 4 rebounds in the semifinals and scored 6 points in the Painters’ Game 1 win. It looks like young ‘uns Chris Tiu, Alex Nuyles, and Jeric Teng will have to step up in his expected absence.
Solid & Steady: Marc Pingris showed, again, why he is such a solid and steady force in the PBA. Ping knocked in 5 of his 9 field goal attempts to finish with 11 points while also grabbing 12 rebounds, handing out 4 assists, and blocking 2 shots. In short, he was everywhere in Game 2, and, as is usually the case when the Gilas forward plays well, the Mixers ended up winning. He had a lot of help from his frontcourt partner, Joe Devance, who can afford to slide to the PF spot against the relatively small ROS frontline. Devance struggled in Game 1, but he made up for it here, scoring 13 points to go along with 7 boards and 4 dimes.
 |
| Marc Pingris painst off #1 as the Mixers took Game 2. |
Game Recap:
SAN MIG SUPER COFFEE over RAIN OR SHINE, 80-70
After a tough loss in the series opener, the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers bounced back in a big way, rolling to an impressive 80-70 victory over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in Game Two of the PLDT Home DSL Philippine Cup finals on Sunday at SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
The win evened the series at 1-all with Game Three scheduled on Wednesday at 8 p.m. also at the Big Dome.
“Our guys were surprisingly ready,” said San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone, who took the blame for his squad’s 83-80 defeat in the first game. “I thought they might be a little bit tired after Game One but we came out strong.”
Peter June Simon started the fire for the Mixers, scoring seven points to spark San Mig Coffee’s 14-4 start.
Rain or Shine tried to keep within striking distance, trailing by just seven points, 20-13, at the end of the first period.
But the Mixers continued to put the clamps on the Elasto Painters offense in the second quarter, pushing the advantage to as much as 15 points before settling for a 37-24 halftime bubble.
“We didn’t shoot that well in the first half but we were defending well,” said Cone. “We kept strong and kept our poise.”
San Mig Coffee never allowed Rain or Shine to come closer than nine points the rest of the way, with Simon, James Yap, and Marc Pingris setting the tone and the Mixers’ second unit keeping the energy up.
Pingris finished with 11 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks, while alternating his defense between Rain or Shine top guns Jeff Chan and Paul Lee. Simon led the Mixers with 15, while Yap and Joe Devance added 13 apiece.
With their comfortable lead, the Mixers found plenty of time to rest top guns Yap and Simon, who played just 24 and 22 minutes, respectively.
Chan was the lone Rain or Shine player in double-figures with 18 points. He shot 7-of-12 (58 percent) from the field while the rest of the team was 22-of-66 (33 percent).
SMC 80 – Simon 15, Devance 13, Yap 13, Pingris 11, Sangalang 10, Mallari 8, Barroca 4, Reavis 4, Melton 2, Gaco 0.
ROS 70 – Chan 18, Cruz 8, Norwood 8, Belga 7, Lee 7, Almazan 5, Teng 5, Quinahan 3, Nuyles 3, Tang 2, Ibanes 2, Rodriguez 2, Arana 0, Tiu 0.
QS: 20-13, 37-24, 58-48, 80-70
 |
| Jervy Cruz and the rest of ROS were just out of it in Game 2. |
 |
| SMC big man Joe Devance goes up in the paint. |
 |
| Blackwater's Bacon Austria drives past Mark Romero of Jumbo Plastic Linoleum in the D-League 3-on-3 showcase. |
Image Source: Pranz Kaeno Billones/Sports5
0 Comment