Game Today (Smart Araneta Coliseum)
7 p.m. – Rain or Shine vs San Miguel
What San Miguel Beer failed to do in Game 2, Rain or Shine hopes to accomplish today when they clash in Game 3 of their semifinal series in the PBA Governors’ Cup playoffs today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Getting a game-long brilliance from import Wendell McKines and a clutch 3-point shot from Jeff Chan, the Painters willed their way from a massive 20-point deficit to pull off a dramatic 113-110 in Game 2 to tie their best-of-five series at 1-1.
More than the momentum they gained, the Painters denied the Beermen from scoring a follow-up to their 101-95 victory in Game 1 where they rallied from a huge 24-point deficit.
That will be the mission of ROS coach Yeng Guiao who strongly believes their Game 2 win will inspire and give them more courage and energy in their 7 p.m. encounter as they seek a 2-1 lead.
“We’re coming off one of our biggest wins in playoff history, and we want to take that inspirational game in Game 3. We can draw inspiration and courage from that victory,” said Guiao.
“It’s a special game for me. We were down by 20, yet we pulled off a win. That’s something we can draw a lot of strength, then we can go to the technical aspect of the game,” added Guiao.
It was also a game to remember for McKines and to the rest of the team.
A strong contender for the Best Import award this conference, McKines fired a career-best 53 points to help ROS back into the game after the Beermen threatened to rip the game wide apart with their long bombs that saw them took a 76-56 advantage in the third period.
Good thing for ROS, the 6-foot-4 McKines was in the zone and was at his deadliest in the fourth where he scattered 18 points, including a couple of completed three-point plays against 6-foot-10 SMB center June Mar Fajardo. (Waylon Galvez)