Kings avert collapse, tie series

Game tomorrow (Smart Araneta Coliseum)

8 p.m. – Rain or Shine vs Petron Blaze

MANILA, Philippines - Barangay Ginebra went on a rollercoaster ride, dipping and soaring before steadying with the game on the line as the Kings salvaged an 85-82 win over the San Mig Coffee Mixers last night to force a two-game-all deadlock in their PLDT MyDSL PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven semifinal showdown at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Mac Baracael, the goat in Ginebra’s Game One defeat and missed badly in Game Three because of his banishment on technical fouls, redeemed himself in Game Four, emerging as a key force that helped the Kings through in the vital match.

Baracael knocked in 4-of-5 three-pointers, 2-of-3 twinners and 4-of-4 charities for 20 points, and, at the finish, shackled down James Yap as the Kings survived a long cold spell in the second half and still pulled through after losing a big 16-point lead.

LA Tenorio drained three crucial charities in the final minutes and the Kings eventually escaped with the win as James Yap’s potential game-tying shot at the buzzer rattled out of the rim.

“The most important thing was that the guys didn’t lose poise after losing our big lead,” said Ginebra coach Ato Agustin.

“They stuck to our game plan, and the veterans really carried us through,” Agustin also said.

The Mixers came charging back from 54-70 down and surged ahead at 76-72 on a searing assault engineered by Yap, Marc Pingris, Justin Melton and Mark Barroca.

Curiously, after a confrontation between coaches Agustin and Tim Cone late in the third, the Kings blew cold, going scoreless in the next six and a half minutes, and thus allowing the Mixers to race ahead at 72-70.

The Kings, however, recovered in time and avoided falling in a deep 1-3 hole in the race-to-four-wins series.

As the Kings broke their scoring silence on a putback by Greg Slaughter and a three-pointer by Emman Monfort, the Ginebra crowd came alive, erupting to rhythmic chants of “Gi-ne-bra, Gi-ne-bra, Gi-ne-bra.”

Early on, on offensive plays starting with Mark Caguioa posting up Melton, the Kings made a key turnaround, erasing a six-point deficit and taking a 46-43 lead at the turn.

Ginebra stepped up its attack in the third quarter with Baracael and Jayjay Helterbrand combining for 4-of-6 three-pointers as the Kings stretched their lead to 70-54.

The Mixers, however, regrouped at the start of the fourth, stopping the Kings’ romp with a full-court pressing defense, and coming up with their own flurry to get back into the game.

The Kings came out flat with a tall starting unit of Slaughter, Japeth Aguilar, Jayr Reyes, Caguioa and Tenorio, scoring only nine points in the first nine minutes of the contest.

Ginebra started to get going towards the end of the first quarter behind second stringers Baracael, Chris Ellis and Helterbrand, but then San Mig relievers Melton, Barroca, Alex Mallari and Ian Sangalang worked on another searing run as the Mixers regained control at 34-28.

Working against the Mixers were the early fouls committed by Pingris, Yap and Joe Devance. San Mig drew a total of 13 fouls as against Ginebra’s six in the first half.

NOTES: ROS coach Yeng Guiao was slapped a game suspension and a fine of P100,000 for his act Monday that the PBA Commissioner’s Office considered “conduct unbecoming of a coach.”

As he left the court after being ejected from the game for technical fouls, Guiao was seen on video pointing a dirty finger in the direction of the league commissioner and technical officials.

“I would like to state unequivocally that this disciplinary sanction cannot fully convey the sense of regret of this Office for the insulting and unsavory antics coach Guiao continues to display and foist on the players, the referees, his peers and the entire viewing public of the PBA, especially the youth, despite repeated well-meaning advice and counsel from this Office in the past. I invite him to reflect upon his responsibility to the public, the league and the Rain or Shine organization which he represents, even as I reiterate that the PBA will fulfill its own responsibility to tirelessly uphold the principles of decency and sportsmanship,” commissioner Chito Salud said in a statement.

The scores:

Ginebra 85 – Baracael 20, Tenorio 16, Slaughter 11, Ellis 9, Aguilar 7, Caguioa 7, Helterbrand 5, Monfort 5, Reyes 3, Mamaril 2.

San Mig Coffee 82 – Yap 20, Devance 13, Barroca 10, Melton 9, Pingris 7, Sangalang 7, Mallari 6, Simon 5, Reavis 5, De Ocampo 0.

Quarterscores: 21-20, 46-43, 70-56, 85-82