UNWRITTEN HISTORY: RAIN OR SHINEs GAME5 HISTORY Vince Almore San Mig Coffee Mixers were leading by three and 2.6 seconds away from their coveted PBA Grand Slam, but Rain or Shine Elasto Painters still have a chance to force it to overtime. Hobbled but determined, Rain or Shine’s import Arizona Reid caught the ball in an inbound play and shot a three-pointer over the outstretched arm of Mixers’ Marqus Blakely. He missed, and then the balloons started falling. You might have read, heard or watched the game number of times by now. It’s the same plays. It’s the same Blakely who seemed to be in every important play of the game. It’s the same Big Game James Yap nailing big shots one after another. It’s the same Elasto Painters who fought back after being down by 16 in the third period and nine under four minutes left in the game before unleashing a 10-4 run behind Reid. It’s the same last free-throw misses by the Mixers that set the stage to the game’s last play. This game was worthy of being the last game of the 39th season of the PBA. It was a nail-bitter until the very end, but more importantly, it paved the way for the Mixers to capture the rare Grand Slam championship in the most dramatic fashion. It was a moment of euphoria for the winning team, and all it took was for the last shot to be missed. It could have been Paul Lee’s MVP game after leading the Painters when Reid was not producing like himself. Lee tallied 21 points notwithstanding Mark Barroca, Marc Pingris, and even Blakely taking turns to defend him. In the end, it was Yap’s huge 29 point explosion that stole the show. It could have been one of the most inspiring games manufactured by Reid. Battling a swollen right foot injury, Reid was not himself in the first half and early parts of the third canto. After sitting on the bench and watching how the Rain or Shine locals were fighting back, he comes back to the floor and showed the dreadlocked scoring machine he is. It was unbelievable how he’s scoring against the towers of San Mig and getting back on defense with hands on his knees while trying to catch his breath. But it was Blakely’s all around effort (20 points, 16 rebounds, and 9 assists) that proved to be the difference. It could have been Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao’s night to remember. More than stopping a grand slam, it was for Guiao to lead Rain or Shine to carve their own history. It is not just being another team led by Yeng Guiao to be a thorn in the San Miguel teams, but it is to be a team that can compete and win against everyone by believing in one another, and in their system. But it was Coach Tim Cone’s unbelievable feat that shoved this from happening. You could have praised Rain or Shine’s series surprise Jonathan Uyloan for his production and energy off the bench, but Junjun rillo, San Mig’s ballboy, was the one who captured everyone’s attention. The Rain or Shine might have lost this game, but they surely saw what they’re capable off. Raymond Almazan was pushing toe to toe against the best big men in the league, and he is standing his ground. When Gabe Norwood is in his game, with Lee and Jeff Chan on point, they’d be hard to stop offensively. Even the pouring support of their fans was a delight to see. The good thing about this team is they know how to persevere. This team was one of the laughingstocks of the PBA but they kept on improving draft after draft. In this year’s rookie draft, Rain or Shine can further strengthen their team by having the second overall pick. But they would also have to deal with the “Protect 12” situation. With their core guys intact and the addition of their lottery pick/s in the draft, expect Rain or Shine to be back in the hunt once again. They can use this defeat to be their rallying point headed to the 40th season. Maybe this time they’ll win it all, and have their history written in the books.
Posted on: Mon, 14 Jul 2014 12:35:52 +0000
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