MANILA: You rarely hear Yeng Guiao talk this way.

“Only God can turn out a script, write a story this way,” Guiao said on Saturday night, moments after his Rain or Shine crew completed a comeback from 20 points down in the third quarter to pull out a 113-110 win over San Miguel Beer for 1-1 in their PBA Governors’ Cup Final Four series.

“I’ve been coaching a long time in this league and this is probably one of the most amazing comebacks, amazing games I’ve ever coached,” Guiao added after Jeff Chan nailed the game-winning triple on the break with 7.6 seconds remaining at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.

“This is a God-given game.”

The left-handed Chan capped Rain or Shine’s searing rally with that gutsy triple in transition as the Elasto Painters, safe to say, erased the bitter taste of bungling their own formidable lead – 24 points – to lose the series-opener just two nights before, 101-95.

“He (God) gave us the chance and we just worked for it. We just hung in there. We thought that it was already a lost game,” Guiao said.

Wendell McKines was a big part of that script, erupting for a career-high 53 points, 18 of them in the fourth period, that kept the Elasto Painters in the game. He also collared 17 rebounds, with the last of his two steals coming off Arizona Reid which made that Chan triple possible.

It was San Miguel’s turn to swallow a bitter pill this time, especially for Marcio Lassiter.

The streak-shooting San Miguel swingman was in his elements, finishing with 31 points built around 10 three-pointers which all went to naught when the entire team couldn’t hang on when it mattered.

Those 10 triples tied the all-time playoff mark former MVP Kenneth Duremdes scored for defunct Sta. Lucia 12 years ago in the All-Filipino Cup quarterfinal series, interestingly enough, against San Miguel Beer.

“We survived their (Beermen’s) torrid shooting, we survived Lassiter’s torrid shooting,” Guiao lamented.

San Miguel made a total of 21 three-pointers that tied a franchise mark, which would have been reset had Alex Cabagnot made the one that could have tied the game with a couple of seconds left on the clock.

“A team of lesser character would have broken down with the shooting that San Miguel showed,” Guiao said.

McKines scored 33 points in the second half and was the machine that kept the Painters in the game after San Miguel, through a Cabagnot triple with six minutes left in the third period, zoomed to a 76-56 lead.

Lassiter’s 10th triple gave San Miguel a 110-104 lead with 3:12 remaining, but the Beermen would never score after that with McKines responsible for keeping Reid in check, including that crucial stop that led to the Chan fastbreak.

McKines made 15-of-19 two-point attempts, was 1-for-4 from three-point range and connected on 20-of-26 free throws. He also had five assists in an electrifying effort that kept the Painters in the hunt for a berth in the Finals.

Guiao admitted to playing the fourth quarter just trying to get better for Game 3, which they would have entered on Monday night 0-2 down had the amazing comeback not happened.

Reid led the Beermen with 33 points but had only four in the fourth with Fajardo finishing with just 15 and nine rebounds after being hobbled by early foul trouble and being limited to just 34 minutes.

JR Quinahan finished with 11 points after seeing extended minutes with Beau Belga showing up with his right foot in a cast.

Meanwhile, Alaska shoots for the first slot to the best-of-seven Finals Sunday afternoon when the Aces try to sweep defending champion Star in their half of the semifinals.

Game time is 5 p.m. with Alaska hoping to carry the momentum of a 95-74 victory and take away the last of three titles the Hotshots won in a Grand Slam last season.