Juinio, Panthers defuse Thunder rally

After a first Philippine Basketball Association title that came just last month, it seems that Red Bull has again turned in a first in its youthful existence.

The Thunder dropped to 0-2 in the early going of the Governors Cup, something that has never happened to them in five prior tournaments as Swift hung tough in the stretch to preserve an 83-80 win last night at the Araneta Coliseum.

Swift got 29 points from import Rossell Ellis and the crucial jumper from Poch Juinio in the final 18.6 seconds as the Panthers held off a swashbuckling charge by the Thunder in the final two minutes to win for the first time in three games.

Red Bull has never started without a win in two games since All-Filipino Cup last year — its first PBA tournament — and the Thunder almost pulled it out in the endgame with Ray Tutt hitting six straight points that nearly erased a nine-point deficit.

Still, it was a loss that should stir the Thunder even at this early stage as they dropped to the cellar in the company of Alaska.

Juinio nailed the jumper that spelled the win for the Panthers, a tight one inside the key that broke a long scoreless spell for Swift and which eventually rounded out scoring and sealed the Panthers’ first win after losses to Sta. Lucia and Tanduay.

"I’d like to think that this would be the start of something good for us, but we have San Miguel next," said Swift coach Chot Reyes.

Ellis also had 14 rebounds, seven assists, four steals and a block in his most impressive performance to date, while Juinio finished with eight points for the night and did a pretty good job in helping out in carrying out the duties inside the paint.

Tutt led the Thunder also with 29, and almost pulled it off by himself with 12 of his total coming in the fourth quarter, including a string of baskets that had Red Bull creeping within one with under a minute left.

But Swift played it smart in its next possession, working out a play that almost exhausted its shot clock before Johnny Abarrientos fed Juinio at the middle of the keyhole for the jumper over the outstretched arms of Davonn Harp.

Red Bull has yet to play with the form that gave it that mammoth upset of San Miguel in the Commissioner’s Cup Finals even with an import as prolific as Tutt.

In the Commissioner’s Cup, Red Bull has a less productive import in Antonio Lang, but it was a tournament where the Thunder played like one true team. Such has been the state of the Thunder that they have averaged just 78.5 points in their first two games in the tournament, a far cry from the 87.5 they turned in during the last tournament.