Boosters finish off E Painters

MANILA, Philippines -  Petron Blaze ended Rain or Shine’s reign while sustaining its remarkable run to re-claim the PBA Governors Cup crown, beating the E-Painters with an overpowering third quarter assault for a 110-89 victory and into the finals against the San Mig Coffee Mixers at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.

Elijah Millsap and his teammates slammed the Elasto Painters with a telling 16-0 opening run in the second half and roared to their most lopsided win in the series that sealed their first finals stint in the last six conferences.

“We can dream big now,” said Gee Abanilla, steering Petron to the best-of-seven finals in his first conference as bench chieftain of the team.

“We’re living a dream. It’s a good opportunity and we should never stop here,” Abanilla also said.

In dethroning the E-Painters, Abanilla and his troops set up a title showdown with coach Tim Cone and his chargers.

It’s a first championship duel between the two teams since their titular faceoff in the same conference 13 years ago. The then Derrick Brown-reinforced Purefoods squad topped the Lamont Strothers-reinforced San Miguel Beer team, 4-1, for the crown.

Millsap and Alex Cabagnot came out firing from the halftime huddle then Marcio Lassiter took over in the fourth as the Boosters finished off the E-Painters in Game Four to clinch their best-of-five semis duel, 3-1.

“You have to give it to them too. They pushed as to the limit. Despite all their health woes, they fought as tooth and nail in the series,” said Abanilla.

He saved his best words for coach Yeng Guiao, saying: “Aside from the leadership I learned from coach Yeng, I also learned to be competitor from him. Dapat 101 percent kung pupwede.”

The two teams fought through close battles in the first three games of the series.