BARANGAY Ginebra San Miguel tries to move a win closer to snatching a seat in Finals when it battles Rain or Shine in Game Four of their Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup best-of-five semifinals series today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Gin Kings’ import Justin Brownlee was a beast in Game Three, scoring 44 points with 16 rebounds that went with six assists and five steals to tow his team to a 75-72 victory last Saturday for a 2-1 advantage in the series.
The crowd favorites could march to a championship duel against either sister-team San Miguel Beer or Alaska if they beat Rain or Shine in the game set at 7 p.m.
The Aces, behind import Reggie Johnson, made sure that there won’t be a series sweep by taking the last game, 109-100.
Johnson, a wide-bodied American workhorse, barreled his way through to put the Elasto Painters in the thick of the fight at 72-74 with less than 10 seconds left.
In the next possession, LA Tenorio split his free throws after a deliberate foul to stop the clock. But James Yap, the hero in Game Two, missed a three-point attempt stopping the game at two seconds.
Barangay Ginebra Head Coach Tim Cone was furious after the game as his team almost wasted it 46-23 halftime lead.
“They will prepare for us in Game Four. That’s something we have to talk about because we did not respond well,” Cone said.
Tenorio tallied 13 points. Scottie Thompson went scoreless, but grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out eight assists.
Johnson finished with only 13 points, but had 22 rebounds to lead his team. Raymond Almazan and Ed Daquioag each had 11 points.