RoS out to write off San Mig... But Mixers rev up, won’t give up

MANILA, Philippines - Rain or Shine hopes to come out strong from a four-day break as it tries to finish off San Mig Coffee tonight at the MOA Arena in Pasay City and book the first championship berth in the PBA Philippine Cup.

Faring poorly in their last game in 2012, the Elasto Painters blew the first of their three cracks at the finals but are all pumped-up to start the new year right, looking to close out their best-of-seven semis duel with the Mixers in Game Six at 6:45 p.m.

The sixth game of the other semis matchup pitting Talk n Text and Alaska Milk is slated also at 6:45 p.m. tomorrow over at the Cuneta Astrodome. The Tropang Texters lead the series, 3-2.

“The four-day break gave us a good chance to regain our focus and correct the mistakes of our last game,” said RoS coach Yeng Guiao.

“Our attitude is to finish the series (today) or face dire consequences. Yes, we are still leading but it’s always good to have that sense of urgency,” Guiao also said.

The Mixers, however, are confident they’ve also made good use of the holiday break to gear up for an even better performance today after stopping the E-Painters, 79-67, last Saturday that cut the series’ deficit to 2-3.

“We’ve worked and prepared well through the holidays, so we will certainly feel we’re ready to go at it,” said San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone.

“We just have to stay focused and committed to the task at hand. We know Rain or Shine is going to play a better game this time around, so we’ll have to play at a much higher level as well,” Cone added.

Marc Pingris, PJ Simon, Joe Devance and Mark Barroca stepped up while James Yap sat out long minutes due to fouls as the Mixers foiled the E-Painters’ first crack at wrapping up the series.

Yap vows to make up for his so-so Game Five performance to help the Mixers force a do-or-die match.

Cone is optimistic his top gun can bounce back. “James (Yap) sat on the bench for a long time (in Game Five due to fouls). He’s going to be ready for Game Six, that’s for sure,” Cone said.

It could well be a question of heart and desire with the whole Rain or Shine team aching to spring back from its Game Five defeat.

San Mig Coffee pounced on RoS’ fourth-quarter meltdown to pound out the crucial Game Five win and stay in the hunt.

“Guys like PJ and Joe and Ping and Mark, they really dug deep and played heavy minutes,” said Cone, also giving special mention to the likes of JC Intal, Jonas Villanueva and Wesley Gonzales who briefly spelled his more established stars.

“They played their hearts out… the minutes they had they did not complain,” Cone pointed out.

Guiao couldn’t say the same for his players. Larry Rodriguez was the lone Elasto Painter in double figures with 14 as the likes of Jeff Chan and Paul Lee struggled.

In the series’ other matches and even during the eliminations, Rain or Shine has always somebody stepping up, helping the Elasto Painters bail out of trouble.

Not in Game Five.