MANILA, Philippines -San Mig Coffee blew away early double-digit spreads but fought back from a four-point deficit in the last 1:15 as the Mixers struck back at the Talk n Text Tropang Texters, 77-75, to gain the crucial 2-1 lead in their PBA Commissioner’s Cup best-of-five finale at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.
James Mays came through with a big three-point play off Ranidel de Ocampo then James Yap rifled in an equally huge corner jumper off Kelly Williams as the Mixers salvaged what had looked a lost ballgame to move within a win of a third straight championship.
The Mixers, the reigning Governors Cup and Philippine champs, take a shot at a rare treble in Game Four at the Philsports Arena tomorrow or in Game Five at the Big Dome Sunday.
“It’s a game for the ages. Two real proud teams not quitting and keeping on fighting,†said San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone of the gripping Game Three.
“It’s big shots after big shots and huge plays after huge plays. In the end, our defense got a big stop and that’s the key,†Cone added.
The Mixers did play tremendous defense at winning time, holding the Texters without a point in the last 1:15 of play.
Jayson Castro, awarded the Best Player of the Conference honors before the game, went home disappointed as he failed to save the Texters from dropping the sorry loss.
He muffed eight of 11 three-point tries, the last one at the buzzer, allowing the Mixers to escape with the win and the virtual twice-to-beat advantage in the series.
In an earlier play, Ranidel de Ocampo threw away their possession on an errant pass to Castro in front of their bench.
Talk n Text coach Norman Black, however, believed they got the raw end of a spotty officiating.
“I hope that the game is governed well to be given a fair chance of winning. Contacts should be called evenly on both ends,†said Black. “If you call a foul on one team, the same contact should be called on the other end. That’s the fairness of competitive sport and fairness of the game.â€
Mays collected 20 points and 14 rebounds for the Mixers, who also drew big games from Yap and PJ Simon after being rested by Cone in the second half of a lopsided game Sunday.
Simon came up with 17 points while Yap delivered 13 markers and six rebounds.
“Ping (Marc Pingris), James and PJ are my Duncan, Parker and Ginobili. If Game Two came down like this, I would’ve relied on them,†said Cone, referring to the San Antonio Spurs’ fearsome threesome in the NBA.
“They didn’t say a word the last time. They came to practice. They knew they’re going to start and they’re going to play major minutes tonight,†Cone also said.
With KG Canaleta and Castro hitting their strides in the second quarter, the Texters rallied from a 10-point deficit and trimmed the gap to 35-37 at halftime.
The Mixers started strong and led by as many as 14 before Canaleta and Castro found their touch, outscoring the entire San Mig team, 16-12, in the second period.
Canaleta and Castro combined for 3-of-6 three-pointers and a total of 6-of-10 field goals in their crucial second-quarter salvo.
After trailing through the first 27 minutes of the game, the Texters finally pulled ahead, 44-43, on Castro’s fastbreak layup off a San Mig turnover.
PJ Simon nailed all his first four field-goal attempts and Joe Devance his first two as the Mixers got off to a hot start, enjoying early 14-point spreads at 21-7 and 23-9.