San Mig Coffee moved just a win away from clinching the PBA Philippine Cup title after taking a commanding 3-1 series lead against Rain or Shine in their best-of-7 finals duel.
The Mixers outlasted the E-Painters down the stretch for a 93-90 win in Game 4 on Friday.
Ian Sangalang led San Mig Coffee with 17 points on 8-of-12 field goal shooting. He also tallied 8 boards in 23 minutes.
Mark Barroca and James Yap added 17 points each for the Mixers' balanced attack versus Yeng Guiao's Elasto Painters.
The Mixers managed to survive even without their defensive ace, Marc Pingris, whose right eye got accidentally poked by JR Quinahan during the third quarter.
They also ruined Paul Lee's 28-point effort for Rain or Shine.
If San Mig wins the title, it will give Tim Cone a league-best 16th career championship as coach and break the record currently held by legendary coach Baby Dalupan.
As expected, it was a nip-and-tuck affair for both squads in the first 3 quarters. The Mixers, however, opened the fourth quarter with a 16-4 run that turned a 70-76 deficit to an 86-80 lead midway the period.
Lee rallied his team to bring Rain or Shine within 2 points, 88-90. But free throws from Barroca and Sangalang held off the E-Painters.
JR Quinahan finished with 11 points, while Beau Belga added 10.
Meanwhile, Petron Blaze's June Mar Fajardo was named as the Best Player of the Conference for towing his team to the Philippine Cup semis.
The 6'10" Booster bested teammate Arwind Santos, Barangay Ginebra's Japeth Aguilar and Greg Slaughter, and GlobalPort's Jay Washington.
Box scores:
San Mig Coffee 93 - Barroca 17, Sangalang 17, Yap 17, Devance 12, Simon 12, Melton 7, Pingris 6, Mallari 3, Reavis 2, Gaco 0.
Rain or Shine 90 - Lee 28, Quinahan 11, Belga 10, Norwood 10, Cruz 8, Almazan 6, Chan 6, Tiu 4, Ibanes 4, Arana 3, Tang 0, Nuyles 0, Teng 0, Rodriguez 0.
Quarterscores: 26-27, 52-42, 70-76, 93-90
San Mig Coffee came back with a dominant Game 2 win against Rain or Shine to level the scores in their best-of-seven PBA Philippine Cup title series on Sunday.
The Mixers held down the Elasto Painters to just 24 points in the first two quarters before cruising their way to an 80-70 victory.
Marc Pingris led the way for San Mig Coffee with a double-double output of 11 points and 12 rebounds in 39 minutes of play. He rounded up his performance with four assists and two blocks.
But it was San Mig’s defense that broke Rain or Shine.
Among the Elasto Painters, only Jeff Chan managed to score in double digits with 18 points. Beau Belga, who scored 15 in Game 1, was limited to seven points, while Jervy Cruz was also held down to just eight.
The Mixers, on the other hand, had PJ Simon (15 points) Joe Devance (13 points), James Yap (13 points), Pingris and Ian Sangalang (10 points) all scoring in double digits.
“Our guys were surprisingly ready,” said coach Tim Cone in the PBA website. “I thought they might be a little bit tired after Game 1 but we came out strong.”
“We didn’t shoot that well in the first half, but we were defending well. We kept strong and kept our poise,” he added.
Rain or Shine managed to score only 29-for-78 from the field against San Mig Coffee’s brick wall defense.
Eager to make up for its heart-breaking Game 1 loss, San Mig hounded Rain or Shine’s shooters to gain a 20-13 advantage in the opening quarter.
With Chan and Paul Lee still having hard time buying baskets, the Mixers’ lead ballooned up to 13 points by the end of the first half.
With Rain or Shine’s scorers in check, San Mig Coffee never had any trouble pocketing its first win in the series.
The Mixers’ also avenged their 80-83 loss to the Elasto Painters in Game 1, which was ended via an impressive alley-oop between Gabe Norwood and Lee.
Box scores:
San Mig Coffee 80 - Simon 15, Devance 13, Yap 13, Pingris 11, Sangalang 10, Mallari 8, Barroca 4, Reavis 4, Melton 2, Gaco 0.
Rain or Shine 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.
Quarterscores: 20-13, 37-24, 58-48, 80-70
Paul Lee grabbed a crucial defensive rebound then converted a quick basket from an inbound in an endgame heroic, lifting Rain or Shine past San Mig Coffee, 83-80, in Game One of the PLDT MyDSL PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven finale at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Friday night.
San Mig Coffee actually had possession with time down to 22.5 seconds and the count tied at 80-80.
The Mixers played the clock, coach Tim Cone even calling a 30-second timeout in the last eight seconds to give instructions for a last-second shot. Alas, Mark Barroca attacked the basket too soon, leaving the Elasto Painters a chance to salvage the game with 1.6 seconds to go.
After running circle in an inbound play, Lee found himself open underneath the basket and in-bounder Gabe Norwood spotted the opening, executing a great play that gave the Elasto Painters the decisive 1-0 lead in the finals series.
“We got lucky in the end. We set up a play for Jeff Chan but it was Paul who got open. A big key was the good recognition of Gabe who threw the ball out to Paul,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao.
“But it’s just the first game. This is the way the series will run its course – exciting games. This game could have gone either way,” Guiao also said.
Cone took responsibility for the loss, ruing the timeout he called in the last eight seconds.
“I should have let them run the play,” Cone said.
“I feel really horrible. That’s all on me. I feel bad because our guys worked so hard,” Cone added.
James Yap buried back-to-back baskets fresh from the bench as the Mixers, who trailed most of the way, seized an 80-78 lead with 34.7 ticks to go.
The Elasto Painters, however, tied the count 12 seconds later as Jervy Cruz grabbed a loose ball and made a semi-hook also coming off the bench.
Then came the winning moment that the Mixers let slip away.
“It’s really on me. And then coach Yeng made a brilliant play,” said Cone.
Cruz and Beau Belga topscored for the winning team with 15 points apiece while Lee finished with six points, counting three in the last 1.6 seconds.
After Lee’s quick basket from an inbound, San Mig called an excessive timeout in a bid to map out a play to force OT.
Lee canned in the charity for the final count as the Mixers couldn’t make a decent shot in the last .6 second.
San Mig Coffee played catch-up basketball from the opening tip before coming through with a 12-5 second-quarter closing run to pull even at 37-37 at the turn.
Ryan Araña put back his own miss then JR Quiñahan pumped in a top-of-the-key set shot as the E-Painters led by eight points in the first period at 20-12.
The E-Painters started strong with their starting unit of rookies Raymond Almazan, Jeric Teng, Belga, Lee and Norwood.
And curiously, Guiao had utilized all his 14 players in the first 16 minutes of the ball game.
The scores:
Rain or Shine 83 – Belga 15, Cruz 15, Chan 8, Norwood 8, Rodriguez 7, Araña 6, Lee 6, Tang 5, Teng 5, Almazan 4, Quiñahan 2, Nuyles 2, Tiu 0, Ibañes 0.
San Mig Coffee 80 – Devance 17, Pingris 13, Simon 13, Yap 12, Barroca 9, Melton 6, Mallari 4, Reavis 4, Sangalang 2, De Ocampo 0.
Quarterscores: 20-15, 37-37, 60-59, 83-80
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
San Mig Coffee banked on a strong first half to dominate Barangay Ginebra and complete a 110-87 Game 7 win in the semifinals of the PBA Philippine Cup on Wednesday.
James Yap scored 24 of his 30 points in the first 2 quarters as the Mixers outpaced and outhustled the Gin Kings in front of a record 24,883 spectators at the Big Dome.
The victory enabled San Mig Coffee to arrange a titular match-up with early finalist Rain or Shine.
“Do-or-die, so kailangan talaga pag lumaro ka parang wala nang bukas,” said Yap in a post-game interview.
The two-time MVP, who was hampered by injuries in the eliminations, was a major factor in the semis.
It was his go ahead-jumper that saved the Mixers from the Gin Kings in Game 5. In Game 7, he rained successive triples in a 70% field-goal-shooting performance.
“Lagi kong inisiip kapag do-or-die ilabas mo na lahat ng nalalaman mo sa basketball mula nung bata ka,” said Yap, who also grabbed 6 rebounds. “Kailangan mong iprove ang sarili mo, na ‘hey, nandito pa rin kami.’”
Yap also got plenty of help from his teammates, particularly PJ Simon and Rafi Reavis.
Reavis did the most damage in the first quarter where he scored 12 of his 15 points. In the fourth quarter, it was Simon’s turn to terrorize Ginebra’s defenders for a total of 28 points.
San Mig Coffee raced to a 26-15 lead in the first quarter, until Jayjay Helterbrand stepped up to help Ginebra to slice the lead, 20-28.
Mark Caguioa started doing damage in the second canto when he partnered with Helterbrand in a run-and-gun game. “The Spark’s” jumper knotted the scores, 32-all, 8:30 minutes left in that period.
But the Gin Kings found themselves in serious trouble when Yap started nailing his triples. “Big Game James” pushed San Mig to a commanding 57-44 half time lead.
LA Tenorio and Billy Mamaril tried to rally Ginebra in the third. San Mig Coffee, however, held on to a 79-67 advantage going into the final quarter.
The Kings tried to get back in the fourth, but could not get nearer than 12. They appeared to have surrendered the fight when Mixers stretched the lead to 21 points before the final 2 minutes.
Mark Caguioa topscored for Ginebra with 23 points. His teammates, however, failed to provide additional scoring boost.
Tenorio had 16, while Chris Ellis was held to just 4.
Box scores:
San Mig Coffee 110 - Yap 30, Simon 28, Sangalang 15, Reavis 15, Pingris 8, Barroca 6, Mallari 6, Devance 2, Melton 0.
Ginebra 87 - Caguioa 23, Aguilar 17, Tenorio 16, Slaughter 12, Mamaril 6, Helterbrand 5, Ellis 4, Baracael 3, Reyes 1, Monfort 0, Urbiztondo 0.
Quarterscores: 28-20, 57-44, 79-67, 110-87
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
San Mig Coffee and Barangay will battle for all the marbles when they meet in Game 7 at the Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday.
No, they're not even fighting for the title, but their emotional match-up during their best-of-7 semifinal match-up seems worth a championship crown.
“It’s been a great series, a tough series with a lot of drama, and it seems only fitting that it should go to a Game Seven,” San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone said on the PBA website after seeing his boys engage Barangay Ginebra in a see-saw battle.
The Mixers claimed Games 1, 3, and 5, while the Gin Kings equalized in Games 2, 4 and 6. Almost all of their games ended via down-the-wire finishes.
But the momentum is at Ginebra’s side after its thrilling 94-91 win in Game 6.
“No doubt, Game 6 was a tough one for us to swallow. We felt we had it and then it was ripped away from us. Credit to Ginebra,” said Cone.
Although Barangay Ginebra expects San Mig to go all out in Game 7, coach Ato Agustin sees no need to make adjustments.
“Nakuha namin ang right formula the last time out. Walang pagbabago sa Game 7, pipilitin namin uling gawin ang mga tama naming ginawa sa Game 6,” he said.
The winner in Game 7 will face early finalist Rain or Shine in the finals.
Cone, however, said that winning Game 7 is just like winning the title itself.
“This is what we play for. As my daughter always reminds me, the best two words in sports: Game 7,” Cone said.
Agustin said the victory is for the Gin Kings to take.
“Nabigyan kami ng pagkakataon, sayang naman kung hindi namin kuhanin,” he said.
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
Barangay Ginebra completed another down-the-wire finish against San Mig Coffee as it carved out a 94-91 win to force a series-deciding Game 7 in the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals.
Down 41-50 in the first half, the Gin Kings needed inspiration from former Ginebra coach Robert Jaworski to mount a huge fightback in the next two quarters.
Greg Slaughter unloaded 20 points, including a miracle jumper that kept Ginebra in finals contention.
The Kings were staring at a 3-point deficit when Slaughter completed a tough shot to pull Ginebra closer, 90-91, with barely a minute remaining.
A costly foul by James Yap allowed Mark Caguioa to push Ginebra ahead via free throws, 92-90.
Slaughter sank two more free throws and completed the job for a Game 6 win.
The victory enabled Ginebra to tie the best of 7 series, 3-all, keeping the hopes alive for a possible title encounter with early finalist Rain or Shine.
It also ruined the efforts of Marc Pingris and PJ Simon who were doing heavy damage against the Kings midway the fourth quarter.
Pingris, who finished with 20 points, looked unstoppable when he ignited a 6-2 run against Ginebra.
Simon also scored 5 straight points to push San Mig ahead, 91-88, with 1:24 minutes remaining.
It was at this point when Slaughter took over for Ginebra.
Caguioa finished the game with 21 points. LA Tenorio also made up for his miscue in Game 5 by scoring 16.
Box scores:
Ginebra 94 - Caguioa 21, Slaughter 20, Tenorio 16, Aguilar 13, Baracael 9, Helterbrand 5, Ellis 4, Reyes 4, Mamaril 2, Monfort 0, Urbiztondo 0.
San Mig Coffee 91 - Pingris 20, Simon 17, Barroca 14, Sangalang 12, Reavis 9, Yap 9, Melton 5, Devance 3, Mallari 2, De Ocampo 0.
Quarterscores: 22-24, 41-50, 73-74, 94-91
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
He ain't "Big Game James" for nothing.
With 13.4 seconds to go, James Yap buried the dagger triple that lifted San Mig Coffee past Barangay Ginebra, 79-76, in Game 5 of their PBA Philippine Cup semifinals series on Saturday.
The Gin Kings were up by a thread, 76-75, following Chris Ellis’ jumper when Mark Barroca made a quick pass to Yap.
Yap immediately went for the go ahead looper and connected the triple, beating Mac Baracael’s defense in front of more than 20,000 screaming fans at the Big Dome.
LA Tenorio tried to salvage the game for the Kings but the Mixers were quick on their feet and forced him to miss his layup.
San Mig’s Justin Melton split his free throws on the other end to peg the final scores at 79-76.
It was a nip and tuck affair for both squads in the first three quarters. San Mig Coffee then started to pull away when Barroca and Melton teamed up for a potent 9-0 run that had Ginebra trailing 57-66.
Japeth Aguilar later rallied the Gin Kings to bring Ginebra within one point. Yap responded with an easy layup, but Chris Ellis fired a triple that knotted the scores 72-all.
The scores remained tied 74-all with 52 ticks to go, when Marc Pingris split his charities to give the Mixers a 75-74 breather.
Ellis jumper pushed the Kings ahead, 76-75, before Yap nailed his game winner.
Yap finished the game with 10 points, while Barroca top scored the Mixers with 14 points, four assists and three steals.
Air Force Ellis had 20 for Ginebra, while JayR Reyes added 11.
The victory gave San Mig Coffee a 3-2 series lead against Barangay Ginebra in their best-of-seven showdown. The Mixers now only need one win to set up a title clash with Rain or Shine.
Rain or Shine defeated Petron on Friday to seal their semis series, 4-1, and clinch the first finals berth.
Box scores:
San Mig Coffee 79 – Barroca 14, Pingris 12, Simon 10, Reavis 10, Yap 10, Mallari 8, Devance 7, Sangalang 6, Melton 2.
Ginebra 76 – Ellis 20, Reyes 11, Aguilar 9, Slaughter 9, Tenorio 9, Caguioa 6, Baracael 5, Helterbrand 5, Mamaril 2, Monfort 0, Urbiztondo 0.
Quarterscores: 21-21, 46-44, 62-57, 79-76
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel evened their PLDT MyDSL 2014 PBA Philippine Cup semifinals series against the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers with an 85-82 win that went down the wire, on Wednesday, at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum. Mac Baracael scored 20 points in 20 minutes after shooting 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. LA Tenorio came up with 16 points, while 2013 top pick Greg Slaughter notched 11 points and 12 rebounds. The back-and-forth Manila Clasico series will last at least two more games with both sides knotted up at two wins apiece. San Mig Coffee feasted on Ginebra turnovers early in the fourth quarter, triggering a 20-2 rally to get up by four, 76-72. With time winding down, lucky plays swung the game in Ginebra's favor, forcing the Mixers to lean on a James Yap triple with 5.4 seconds left in the hopes of an overtime period. The shot missed, and Ginebra avoided falling into a 3-1 hole. "When they started pressuring us medyo maraming mistakes. But still the breaks were on our side, that's why we won the game," said Ginebra coach Ato Agustin. "We did a good job on our defense, we were able to control the tempo," he added. "Nag-stick parin sila sa gameplan namin." Ginebra prides itself as an up-and-down team, but on paper that wasn't the case. The Mixers led 26-18 in turnover points and 13-8 in fast break points. Though they were up 45-40 in rebounding, Ginebra scored only three more second-chance points than San Mig Coffee, 16-13. The Mixers used a 15-5 run in the first quarter, getting transition baskets from Joe Devance and hustle plays from Rafi Reavis, to lead 16-9 with four minutes to play. Ginebra finally broke through San Mig Coffee's defense though as Mac Baracael hit a triple with 3:24 to play. The bucket sparked a 12-4 counter for the Barangay, as JJ Helterbrand's turnover layup with five seconds left edged them ahead after the first frame, 21-20. In the second quarter, San Mig Coffee fielded a three-guard lineup that profited from creating turnovers against Ginebra. Alex Mallari hit back-to-back triples to kick off a rally, then consecutive transition hoops by Mark Barroca gave them a 34-28 advantage. However Ginebra eventually took control as they eased their starters back on the floor, and set a course straight for the hoop. The Barangay scored their last 18 points from the line or in the paint, and got a combined 12 markers from LA Tenorio and Greg Slaughter. The Mixers hung around by converting tough shots, including a long turnaround jumper from Devance as the half expired while his team trailed, 46-43. San Mig Coffee was on the losing end of a 13-6 fouls margin at halftime. Marc Pingris and James Yap had three personal fouls each for the Mixers, while Japeth Aguilar had two, and was the only Ginebra player with more than one. Ginebra ripped open a double-digit lead to start the second half. While they scored inside at will, Mac Baracael drained three triples to augment a 65-50 lead. Consecutive baskets from Yap and Pingris stopped the bleeding with three minutes to play, but the Mixers couldn't put together a run as Ginebra led 70-56 after three quarters. San Mig Coffee dug deep on defense in the fourth and forced Ginebra into several turnovers in a row. Yap and Justin Melton made Ginebra pay for their errors, combining for 13 in a 20-2 onslaught during the first six minutes, to seize a 76-72 lead. Ginebra lucked out when Emman Monfort banked in a triple, while Baracael drew an and-one in the post to bolster an 8-2 run. San Mig Coffee was equally unlucky as Devance fumbled two straight layups, and fell behind 80-79 after split charities from Yap. With 1:18 left, Aguilar cleaned up a Tenorio layup to put Ginebra up by three, forcing the Mixers to call timeout. Baracael though stole the ball, and called timeout before falling out of bounds. Tenorio then drew a pushing foul on the other end, and came away with a split, 83-79. Barroca tried to cut into the lead with a three-pointer but drew no iron, returning the ball to Ginebra with 47 seconds remaining. Ginebra milked the clock before Monfort missed a trey, while on the other end, Devance showed the second-year point guard how it was done, to make it a one-point game, 83-82. The Mixers took a while to foul before sending Tenorio to the line with 5.4 left, where he calmly sank two charities, 85-82. San Mig Coffee called their last timeout to set up Yap for a three, but his attempt went halfway in before curling out, preserving the win for Ginebra. Ginebra shot 32-of-74 (43.2 percent) from the field, while San Mig Coffee was 33-of-75 (44 percent). James Yap led his team with 20 points and five rebounds. Joe Devance added 13 points, while Mark Barroca had 10 points, five rebounds and seven assists. - AMD, GMA News The scores: Ginebra 85 - Baracael 20, Tenorio 16, Slaughter 11, Ellis 9, Aguilar 7, Caguioa 7, Helterbrand 5, Monfort 5, Reyes 3, Mamaril 2 San Mig Coffee 82 - Yap 20, Devance 13, Barroca 10, Melton 9, Pingris 7, Sangalang 7, Mallari 6, Simon 5, Reavis 5, De Ocampo 0 Quarter scoring: 21-20, 46-43, 70-56, 85-82 Source: gmanews.tv
