Games today:
(Mall of Asia Arena)
5:15 p.m. — Rain or Shine vs Ginebra
7:30 p.m. — TNT vs Meralco
For Rain or Shine, taking Game 1 wasn’t easy.
Repeating against a talented perennial contender in Barangay Ginebra can be quite a challenge.
The Elasto Painters try to do all the right things they did in the opening match when they meet the Kings once again in Game 2 of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup semifinals today at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Tipoff time is at 5:15 p.m. followed by the main game between defending champion TNT and Meralco at 7:30 p.m.
Rain or Shine’s fourth quarter rally and gritty late-game hustle pulled the squad through in the best-of-seven series opener, 115-111, last Wednesday.
Head coach Yeng Guiao expects his squad to bring the same determination it has shown in front of a 10,412-strong crowd inside the Ynares Center-Antipolo in the previous game.
“To play a team like Ginebra, with their GOAT (greatest of all time) import (in Justin Brownlee), GOAT coach (Tim Cone), half of the Gilas team, the probable best player of the conference in their team so who are we? We just wanted to fight and see how far we can go. At least, we were able to score Game 1,” the fiery mentor said.
A decisive 11-0 run in the last two minutes, behind imports Jaylen Johnson, Jhonard Clarito and Gian Mamuyac, gave Rain or Shine the separation it needed to cushion the Kings’ comeback attempt and come up with the victory.
Guiao thought they got lucky but hopes that their luck won’t run out soon.
“Nakaisang tsamba. Let’s see how many more we can muster. We’re just like someone running an errand and suddenly found ourselves in the semis,” said Guiao, whose squad is just three wins away from a return to the finals after 10 years.
“Of course, it’s really encouraging to win game one against a tough team like Ginebra. It really boosts your morale. But the series is long. It’s a seven-game series. They’re very, very talented. They’re very experienced in a situation like this,” he added.
On the other hand, Cone believes the only way to stop the Elasto Painters from burying the Kings down a 0-2 hole is to play tougher and more disciplined.
“We didn’t have much discipline and if it’s going to continue to be like that, we’re not going to win many games in this series,” he said.
“We got to be tougher, we got to be better, we got to be more disciplined.”
Meanwhile, the Tropang 5G are shooting to build a 2-0 lead following a 94-89 Game 1 victory.
A healthier RR Pogoy and a more productive Jordan Heading provided plenty of help for celebrated import Bol Bol.
But while TNT locals pose problems for the Bolts, the 7-foot-3 Bol remains the biggest headache of Meralco.
Bol finished with 37 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and six blocks in the series opener.
Reinforcements Marvin Jones, CJ Cansino, Cliff Hodge and Chris Newsome will have to find ways to save the Bolts from falling further behind in the series.