JUST before the league observes the Lenten break, Rain or Shine will try to pull away and mount a big cushion over Magnolia when the two collides in Game Three of their best-of-seven semifinals series in the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup on Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Elasto Painters zoomed to a 2-0 lead following their lopsided 93-80 win on Sunday.
Coach Caloy Garcia and his men are poised to make it three straight before the league halts for the Holy Week.
But, despite the edge in the series, Garcia brushes off any air of complacency as they face the Hotshots again at 7 p.m.
“We know Magnolia is capable of coming back. It’s going to be hard if we lose and they can have a break. It’s better if we win,” Garcia said.
In the quarterfinals, Magnolia started on the wrong foot and lost Game One to sister team Barangay Ginebra. The Hotshots learned their lessons, winning the next two games to book a semifinals duel with the top seeded Elasto Painters.
But it was a different scene in the semifinals and Rain or Shine is a more capable foe.
Magnolia was battered twice to start the series, first with a 77-84 loss then the one-sided result on Sunday. However, Garcia remains vigilant, and warns his players that they should win four times before calming themselves.
‘’It’s still a long series. It’s all about consistency and trusting each other,” he said.
It was the youngsters who provided the tools for Rain or Shine as Javee Mocon, Ed Daquioag, Norbert Torres and Rey Nambatac all had significant contributions.
Mocon starred in Game One with team-high 15 points, while the trio of Daquioag, Torres and Nambatac unleashed big numbers with a combined output of 47 points spiked by Daquioag’s 19 points.
Garcia could only say sweet words for his top scorers.
“At the start of the season, I told them to trust each other. We seldom used Rey and Ed in the eliminations. We talked about it and I told them you have to be ready every game, everybody has to come out,” he said.
The Hotshots, on the other hand, got the bulk of scoring from Ian Sangalang and Robbie Herndon, who each had 13 points.
After erecting a torrid defense in the series-opener, it was the three-point barrage of Rain or Shine that clicked in the second game with the team nailing 16 triples.
The match went wide open in the second quarter when the Elasto Painters unloaded a 12-3 run for a commanding 41-26 lead in the 4:40 minute mark.
From there, the lead climbed to a high of 25 with a Mocon basket early in the fourth frame.
Veteran James Yap only had eight points, but his two treys were enough to put him in fourth overall in 3-pointers made with 1,138 career triples. He surpassed Dondon Hontiveros, who had 1,137 in his decorated career. Next after Yap is Ronnie Magsanoc’s 1,171.