E-Painters outlast Aces, gain finals slot

Game Tuesday (MOA Arena)

8 p.m. – San Mig Coffee vs Rain or Shine

MANILA, Philippines - In the end, Rain or Shine stood as San Mig Coffee’s last obstacle to its grand slam bid.

A badly crippled Alaska Milk side put up an amazing fight but Rain or Shine won’t be denied, squeezing out a 97-94 victory last night to gain the right to challenge Triple Crown-chasing San Mig Coffee in the PLDT Home Telpad PBA Governors Cup Finals.

Arizona Reid carried RoS on his shoulders almost throughout before Paul Lee rose to the occasion at crunch time, scoring on a drive, getting a big loose ball recovery and making two pressure-packed charities in the last 30 seconds as the E-Painters outlasted the Aces in this gripping do-or-die game before a good weekend crowd at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Minus key players Sonny Thoss, Jayvee Casio and Gabby Espinas, the Aces banked on a relentless, spirited performance to push the E-Painters to the limit.

The E-Painters, however, stood their ground and came through with the bigger plays in the crunch to set up a rematch of their Philippine Cup title showdown with the San Mig Coffee Mixers.

Rain or Shine and San Mig are actually squaring up in a titular duel for the third time in the last seven conferences. Splitting their first two face-offs, the E-Painters and the Mixers figure in a best-of-five “decision series” starting Tuesday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

“We’re done with Alaska, and we’re glad we’re done. It’s a hard series. Alaska just showed a lot of guts and tenacity. We just couldn’t shake them off even without their key players,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao.

“We’re in the finals perhaps because of destiny. It’s hard to find destiny. It’s not our fault that (Jayvee) Casio took the crucial spill (in Game Four) and it’s not our fault that Casio, Thoss and Espinas weren’t able to play today,” Guiao also said.

“It’s nice to be good but it’s nicer to be lucky. I’m not taking the credit away from our guys. It’s not that we don’t deserve it. But in life, if it’s for you, it’s for you,” he added.

Casio and Thoss sat out the game due to injuries suffered in the last match. Espinas wasn’t around for a fractured right foot also sustained in Game Four. He’s set to undergo surgery.

The three key players of coach Alex Compton averaged 31.8 points and 16.3 rebounds together in the tourney.

Worse, the Aces lost reserve guard Raphie Reyes to technical infractions in the second quarter and Calvin Abueva to fouls in the crunch.

Still, the Aces played an incredible game, dragging the Elasto Painters to a battle marked by seven deadlocks and eight lead changes.

Alaska was still in the game before Henry Walker muffed a game-tying three-point attempt in the dying seconds.