Mixers gun for all marbles today, Fajardo is PH Cup's best
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 23 Feb 2014
San Mig Coffee continued winning the battle, but can the Mixers eventually win the war?
The Mixers of coach Tim Cone repeated over the Elasto Painters of coach Yeng Guiao, 93-90, Friday night in Game 4 of their bests-of-seven series and moved another victory away from claiming the PBA 39th Season's Philippine Cup.
They will gun for all the marbles in tonight's Game 5 at the Araneta Coliseum. The Mixers are, of course, are favored anew in their 4:30 p.m. dated with the Painters, but that is dependent on whether they can continue defying the fatigue factor like they did since bouncing back from a 1-0 deficit at the start of the series that even Cone himself fears to come any time in this series.
Another factor going against Cone and his boys could be the possible absence of high-leaping Marc Pingris, who injured his eyes five minutes gone of the third quarter and was never fielded back as he must have rushed to the hospital aftger the finger-biting triumph.
And Cone has reasons to be scared seeing the Mixers post an early comfortable 13-point, 50-37 third quarter lead melt under the Painters' rally that led to a dizzying exchanges mark by six swapping of leads the rest of the way, the last 80-78 going into the last 8:30 of the game the Painters never overcame though.
The painters had just came from a 90-84 deficit to get closer, 91-88, and, 93-90, with 22 ticks away from the final buzzer but Paul Lee missed a score tying trey 10 seconds later that preserve the Mixers triumph.
"We won the battle tonight and I hope we can also win the war," Cone told media men during the post-game press conference. " We're again fortunate to night to survive. I thought Paul Lee's shot would go in and we would go into overtime."
Cone admitted fatigue would be his boys' biggest enemy in the remaining games to come, saying a 3-1 series lead would not be a guarantee that the team having the advantage can go all the way to the coronation as he had once experience.
"You can't pat yourself on the back. I know there's a lot of talk about how few teams come back. But I was one of the few (coaches) that lost (a 3-1) lead. So we have to keep pushing," Cone reminisced reminded of his 3-1 edge against the very team he is now handling (Purefoods) then led by James Yap amd cpached by Ryan Gregorio in the semifinal; of the 2005 Philippine Cup and went on to bring home the bacon.
"Binigay na example nga ni coach (Tim) kanina during our huddle sa first half yung nangyari sa Alaska," Yap himself narrated. .It was in that season when Yap won his first PBA MVP award as he led the Hotdogs to the championship opposite Red Bull, which was then handled by now Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao. "Ahead sila 3-1, tapos kami yung kalaban. Nasilat pa sila. So hindi pa guarantee ito na mag-cha-champion [kami]. "Stay focused pa rin [dapat], then walang mag-relax."
Dr. Raffy Sanchez, the Mixers' team physician assured though that Pingris will still be able to play in the next game. ."He suffered a scratch on his right cornea. He was given anesthesia and antibiotics but in 24 hours, he will be okay."
"He suffered a scratch on his right cornea. He was given anesthesia and antibiotics but in 24 hours, he will be okay," Sanchez told reporters as Pingris hurriedly left the Smart-Araneta Coliseum right after the Mixers' huge 93-90 win that moved them one win away from a second straight PBA title.
Despite what looked like a huge hole he and his Painters dug themselves into, Guiao remained upbeat that RoS will come back to send the series into its full route seven games.
In the absence orf Pingris, turned to rookie Ian Sangalang, who stepped up big time, and Mark Barroca late in the game to match Yap's team high 17 p;oints and save the win. Joe de Vance, likewise, came fo the Mixers' rescue by matching {Pj Simon's 12-point performance. The Mixers, actually started like a house on fire taking control as soon as the opening buzzer sounded with Yap immediately going to works by heaving a pair of three-point bomb in gifting San Mig a 6-0 lead although the Painters caught up, 11-all six minutes into the game. Yap ended the first quarter with 14 points on 3-of-4 from the Pxarking lot, 1-of-1 from elsewhere and 1-of-1 from the line.
The Mixers took the half 52-42 despite Simon's and Sangalang's 10-poine apiece contributions which was negated by Lee's 10 points in the same distance.
The Painters' Barroca, limited to only four [points in the opening 24 minutes, got hot in the next with 13 points, while De Vance who was blank in the fist halfx explosed for 12 in the next 24 minutes. Lee. on the other hand, defied all the men Cone assigned him for 28 points but lack the support of his teammates, most especially national player Jeff Chan, ewjo continued to be a non-entity in the series with measly six points. To win tonight and remained in contentio, the Painters, too, need more than 11 points from JR Quinahan, 10 points each from bulky Beau Belga and Gabe Norwood.
oOo
NOTES; Petron's June Mar Fajardo, as expected stashed away with the All Filipino Best Player of the Conference. Fajardo, who led in the statistical points with 436 over his closest rival and teammate Arwind Santos, the reigning league MVP, emerged on top in all the votes cast garnering 565 ballot points from the media, 39 of who9m voted him as no. 1. Twenty two of his fellow players who participated in the balloting chose him their no. 1 pick for 117 points and coaunting the 150 points from the PBA officials and employees, ended up with a total 1268 points, 571 points more than Santos total 727.
"Medyo nabawasan sakit pero mas maganda sana kung nakapasok kami ng finals, " the soft-spoken 6-foot-9 Boosters behemoth commented uupon recfiving the award in reference to Petron's faialure to make it into the gold medasl play. "Magandang achievement to para sa akin nagpapasalamat ako sa lahat ng bumoto sa akin, sa fans sa media sa management kay God. Basta ako naglalaro lang ako para matulungan ang team.. pinaka goal ko makakuha ng championship...yung mga awards parang reward lang. Nagpapasalamat ako sa management sa coaching staff na naniniwala sa akin sa mga teammates ko na nagtitiwala sa akin sila gumagawa ng plays para sa akin."
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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