Reid hits go-ahead triple as Painters tie series in OT

Game Saturday (Smart Araneta Coliseum)

3:30 p.m. – Leo Awards

5 p.m. – San Mig Coffee vs Rain or Shine

MANILA, Philippines – Rain or Shine displayed the very character that has made it a consistent title contender the last few years, outlasting grand slam-chasing San Mig Coffee, 89-87, in an overtime grind to force a one-game deadlock in their PBA Governors Cup best-of-five finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Thursday night.

The Elasto Painters fought with grit and guts throughout the battle with Best Import awardee AZ Reid taking over the game in the crunch as Rain or Shine foiled San Mig’s bid to take a pivotal 2-0 lead in the short series.

“We just grinded it out, stayed there, didn’t give up and toughed it out to the end,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao.

At the same time, Guiao announced that they’re protesting the process done by the league in holding the lottery for the first pick in the coming PBA Rookie Draft.

The fiery Rain or Shine coach said they would seek a redraw, raising the matter to the board of governors today.

“We’re pursuing our intention to have the lottery draw be investigated and if possible redrawn because it’s just crude, it’s lacking credibility and lacking transparency,” said Guiao. “We’re the aggrieved party because Meralco’s pick is our pick. Nobody’s invited from us to witness the proceeding.”

Struggling for only two points and three rebounds in the first half, Reid came out and gutted it out from the halftime break, firing away 27 points including two big treys in overtime play.

The Mixers could have sent the game into a second extension play but Mark Barroca missed a runner at the buzzer.

Reid himself tied the count at 80-all in regulation on a tough, gutsy jumper off Marc Pingris with 1:08 left to play.

No one scored the rest of the way, thus, the classic battle went into OT.

“That’s why he’s the best import. He wants the ball at crunch time, and most likely he will deliver,” said Guiao of Reid.

“He carried us on his shoulder in the semifinals and he’s carrying us on his shoulder right now. I was frustrated with him in the first half. I told him he can do better than that and he picked it up,” Guiao added.

Reid also came through with 17 rebounds and four assists in a sterling performance he put up after winning the Best Import award over San Mig’s Marqus Blakely.

As in Game One, Reid thoroughly outplayed Blakely.

And as in the series opener, the San Mig second group provided the team the spark before James Yap took over, scoring all of the Mixers’ seven points in overtime.

But the E-Painters had the last hurrah in the end this time, bouncing back from a 101-104 loss Tuesday night.

The game went into overtime as the two teams both failed to connect on their last possession in regulation.

The Mixers wiped out a seven-point deficit and surged ahead, 71-66, on a 12-0 run at the start of the fourth quarter, but the E-Painters answered with their own key binge in the crunch to tie at 80-all.

Jeff Chan missed a three-pointer in the last 2.5 seconds, then the Mixers failed to get a decent shot in the dying seconds.

It’s a nip-and-tuck battle from the start.

San Mig Coffee set the pace most of the first half but Rain or Shine came through with an 11-to-nothing run to surge ahead, 37-36, towards the end of the second period.

Pingris nailed a charity to tie the count at 37 at the half.

Notes: Talk n Text’s Ranidel de Ocampo and Rain or Shine’s Arizona Reid were named the Governors Cup Best Player of the Conference and the Best Import, respectively. Significantly, De Ocampo made the list of candidates for the season’s MVP award for winning the third-conference BPC honors. Junmar Fajardo, Asi Taulava and Jayson Castro are the others in the running for the MVP award to be handed out during the Leo Awards starting at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Big Dome. In contention for the Mythical First Five and Mythical Second Team are De Ocampo, Fajardo, Taulava, Castro, San Mig’s Mark Barroca, PJ Simon, Marc Pingris and Joe Devance, Alaska’s Jvee Casio and Sonny Thoss, Globalport’s Alex Cabagnot and Jay Washington, Meralco’s Gary David, Rain or Shine’s Paul Lee, Ginebra’s LA Tenorio, Japeth Aguilar and Greg Slaughter, and Air21’s Joseph Yeo.