MANILA: Rain or Shine finished with a wobble on Wednesday night and will be hanging the balloons and chilling the wine for a big celebration in two days.
Building a huge lead early, the Elasto Painters withstood a furious Alaska fightback and hung on to post a 112-108 win and move within another triumph of annexing the PBA Commissioner’s Cup title, getting the first of four chances to do so starting Friday at the Araneta Coliseum.
Rain or Shine erected leads of as huge as 27 points late in the third to cushion a searing Alaska finish, going 3-0 up in this best-of-seven series as the Painters moved in position to snapping a title drought that dates back to 2012.
The Painters got the goods from multiple players for the third straight game, but for the first time did not need Paul Lee to finish the job in the stretch with coach Yeng Guiao closing out the game with an entirely different crew that won the first two games.
“It’s a good thing that we had that big lead,” Guiao told scribes later. “We really did not finish this game well. But it’s still a win and we can win a championship (on Friday), that’s what’s most important.”
Guiao has a tendency of playing unorthodox lineups in crucial situations and in Game 3, played Lee less than 17 minutes.
The hero in Games 1 and 2, Lee still finished with 10 points and was one of four players in twin digits for Guiao, who refused to guarantee a series win on Wednesday night but said that he will do so “after Game 5.”
Only one time has a 3-0 lead been overturned in a best-of-seven series in the PBA, and it happened in the Philippine Cup with, interestingly enough, Alaska, when the Beermen won the last four outings to clinch the title.
The Aces have, in the process, lost their last seven title series games and Alaska is now in a position to redeem itself from that humiliating Philippine Cup debacle, though Compton really doesn’t like where his team is at right now.
Guiao, though, is cautious of that and wants to get things done on Friday.
“It (a comeback from 0-3 down) can happen again and that’s what’s going to be in our minds (come Game 4 on Friday),” Guiao said. “We don’t want to be in that position (of losing a 3-0 lead).
“That’s why we will do everything we can to finish this on Friday.”
Game 4 is slated at 7 p.m. also at the historic Big Dome floor in Cubao as Guiao aims to sweep a title series for the second time in his career and win a seventh championship.
Guiao had piloted defunct Swift to a 4-0 sweep of 7-Up and Dell Demps with Tony Harris as an import.
JR Quinahan presided upon the Rain or Shine breakaway in the second period, hitting 13 of his points in that span as the Painters turned a 35-37 deficit into a 57-42 lead with a 22-5 run.
The Painters went 6-for-6 from beyond the arc and 9-for-11 overall from the field in that stretch and before bloating a 15-point halftime lead to its largest at 95-68 with under two minutes left in the third.
Compton was disgusted to say the least, saying that his team didn’t respect the game in the early goings and paying for it.
“Rain or Shine really dominated us and I don’t think we showed up (for the game),” Compton said. “We talked, we prepared, but you can’t play that way and win a basketball game.”
Asked what they talked about in the locker room after their third straight defeat, Compton said: “I’d like to keep that in the family. You can love your children but be disappointed at them at the same time.”
Quinahan went on to shoot 18 points to lead all Rain or Shine shooters, with Jericho Cruz adding 17 and Pierre Henderson-Niles 11.
Rob Dozier led the Aces with 23 points, Calvin Abueva had 20 in his best offensive outing in the second, and Chris Banchero 15.
Building a huge lead early, the Elasto Painters withstood a furious Alaska fightback and hung on to post a 112-108 win and move within another triumph of annexing the PBA Commissioner’s Cup title, getting the first of four chances to do so starting Friday at the Araneta Coliseum.
Rain or Shine erected leads of as huge as 27 points late in the third to cushion a searing Alaska finish, going 3-0 up in this best-of-seven series as the Painters moved in position to snapping a title drought that dates back to 2012.
The Painters got the goods from multiple players for the third straight game, but for the first time did not need Paul Lee to finish the job in the stretch with coach Yeng Guiao closing out the game with an entirely different crew that won the first two games.
“It’s a good thing that we had that big lead,” Guiao told scribes later. “We really did not finish this game well. But it’s still a win and we can win a championship (on Friday), that’s what’s most important.”
Guiao has a tendency of playing unorthodox lineups in crucial situations and in Game 3, played Lee less than 17 minutes.
The hero in Games 1 and 2, Lee still finished with 10 points and was one of four players in twin digits for Guiao, who refused to guarantee a series win on Wednesday night but said that he will do so “after Game 5.”
Only one time has a 3-0 lead been overturned in a best-of-seven series in the PBA, and it happened in the Philippine Cup with, interestingly enough, Alaska, when the Beermen won the last four outings to clinch the title.
The Aces have, in the process, lost their last seven title series games and Alaska is now in a position to redeem itself from that humiliating Philippine Cup debacle, though Compton really doesn’t like where his team is at right now.
Guiao, though, is cautious of that and wants to get things done on Friday.
“It (a comeback from 0-3 down) can happen again and that’s what’s going to be in our minds (come Game 4 on Friday),” Guiao said. “We don’t want to be in that position (of losing a 3-0 lead).
“That’s why we will do everything we can to finish this on Friday.”
Game 4 is slated at 7 p.m. also at the historic Big Dome floor in Cubao as Guiao aims to sweep a title series for the second time in his career and win a seventh championship.
Guiao had piloted defunct Swift to a 4-0 sweep of 7-Up and Dell Demps with Tony Harris as an import.
JR Quinahan presided upon the Rain or Shine breakaway in the second period, hitting 13 of his points in that span as the Painters turned a 35-37 deficit into a 57-42 lead with a 22-5 run.
The Painters went 6-for-6 from beyond the arc and 9-for-11 overall from the field in that stretch and before bloating a 15-point halftime lead to its largest at 95-68 with under two minutes left in the third.
Compton was disgusted to say the least, saying that his team didn’t respect the game in the early goings and paying for it.
“Rain or Shine really dominated us and I don’t think we showed up (for the game),” Compton said. “We talked, we prepared, but you can’t play that way and win a basketball game.”
Asked what they talked about in the locker room after their third straight defeat, Compton said: “I’d like to keep that in the family. You can love your children but be disappointed at them at the same time.”
Quinahan went on to shoot 18 points to lead all Rain or Shine shooters, with Jericho Cruz adding 17 and Pierre Henderson-Niles 11.
Rob Dozier led the Aces with 23 points, Calvin Abueva had 20 in his best offensive outing in the second, and Chris Banchero 15.
