The 2019 PBA Commissioner’s Cup
Semi-Finals got going Friday last week, and the teams that got in were pretty
much as expected. While the Alaska Aces drew first blood in the quarterfinals
against TNT KaTropa, the fact that the latter was twice-to-beat meant it was a
premature hope by their second game. Ginebra as expected swept Magnolia clean.
NorthPort despite having twice-to-beat advantage succumbed to the San Miguel
Beermen while online in the Blackwater vs. Rain or Shine best-of-3 matchup was
there a drawn-out fight. The Elasto Painters would thus face powerhouse San
Miguel in the Semis, with the Beermen triumphing Saturday and Monday, but Rain
or Shine fought back.
ESPN 5 reports that the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters refused to go
gentle against long-established PBA team the San Miguel Beermen in their Commissioner’s
Cup Semi-Finals Game 3 on Wednesday, July 31. It is notable because San Miguel’s
import Chris McCullough put in his best Semis scoring performance here with 51
points attributed to him alone. And yet when it came down to the wire the
Elasto Painters dug in deep and pulled a 112 to 104 victory over the Beermen to
keep their 2019 Commissioner’s Cup dream alive.
Rain or Shine’s own import for
the Semi-Finals, Carl Montgomery managed just about half of McCullough’s input
with 25 points for his team, though he recorded one rebound more (15) than his
San Miguel counterpart. Despite this, the outcome for Game 3 between the Elasto
Painters and Beermen remained dicey, and more in favor of San Miguel, right
into the last minutes of the final quarter. Then at Q4-1:14 left of game time
Gabe Norwood sank a 3-pointer to make Rain or Shine lead at 105-104. Norwood
then blocked a crucial McCullough shot in the last 30 seconds, allowing Beau
Belga to secure a game-winning lead of 110 to 104.
It might be rather appropriate
for a Belga 3-point shot to extend the playing life of the Elasto Painters in
the Semi-Finals, considering he might have gotten motivation from Gilas player
Andray Blatche. At 3:45 to go during the Fourth Quarter Beau landed a 3 and
immediately pointed to Blatche who was sitting courtside. The naturalized
national team player apparently dared him to go for more threes, with the lead-ensuring
110-104 being done by Belga in the final 11 seconds, against defender June Mar
Fajardo.
The Beermen must be feeling the
frustration of seeing their Finals spot denied for a time, especially after
they looked set to sweep when they eroded an 18-point Rain or Shine lead to
nothing in Q2. San Miguel however still leads 2-1 in this series, which will go
to Game 4 on Friday, August 2.
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