Hotshots, Painters clash in win-or-go-home showdown

Game Saturday (Ynares Center, Antipolo)
7:30 p.m. – Magnolia vs Rain or Shine (Quarterfinals Game 5)
*Best-of-five series tied, 2-2

MANILA, Philippines – It’s sudden death Game 5.

Forget about Magnolia’s smashing blowout in the previous match and Rain or Shine’s supposed lack of experience in pressure-packed situations like this.

The combatants just need to put together a strong performance for 48 minutes or so one last time Saturday night in this tough quarterfinals matchup and it’s on to the PBA Governors’ Cup semifinals.

What awaits the winner of the 7:30 p.m. KO is a date with defending champion TNT in a best-of-seven affair. The Tropang Giga got to the Final Four first after finishing off NLEX in four games, 125-96, last Tuesday.

Though the Hotshots looked great in knotting the series with a 129-100 rout in Game 4, coach Chito Victolero insists this doesn’t necessarily give them the edge to the decider set at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

“In my opinion, there's no such thing as momentum during the do-or-die game because both teams are eager and they have the will to overcome whatever happened in the previous games,” said Victolero.

ROS counterpart Yeng Guiao welcomes the opportunity to test his youth-laden crew’s mettle in a high-stakes tussle like this.

“Yung experience of playing a Game 5, of being in a winner-take-all situation, sa akin, kasama na ng build-up ‘yun. We're always getting better every playoff game that we play,” said Guiao.

“So investment namin ito sa future ng team, na para lalo kang tumitibay pagka ganitong sitwasyon. So a Game 5 would be good for us as a team.”

Guiao’s charges have already shown character in this series when they bounced back in Game 3, 111-106 in overtime, two days after absorbing a deflating 52-point beating (69-121) in the match prior.

Victolero is banking on his seasoned crew of Paul Lee, Mark Barroca, Ian Sangalang and Calvin Abueva, import Jabari Bird and hopefully a healthy Zav Lucero in the final battle versus ROS’ Aaron Fuller, Jhonard Clarito, Andrei Caracut, Adrian Nocum and Beau Belga.

“In a do-or-die game, it will be the players who will try to perform. We have Xs and Os but really, it boils down to the players' execution,” said Victolero.

Guiao prepped the Elasto Painters for a “very physical” Game 5.

“Kailangan kaming mag-step up in terms of being a little bit more aggressive defensively. And medyo 'yung transition game namin, 'yung running game namin, I don’t know if we’re tired or we’re a little slower or not able to get into the pace that we would usually be playing.”