Escape act

Rain or Shine came close to going down 0-3 in the PBA Governors’ Cup best-of-seven semifinal series against TNT and avoided stepping a foot in the grave by squeezing out a 110-109 escape act in Dasmariñas, Cavite, last Sunday. The Tropa was up, 109-107, with 1:21 to go then Aaron Fuller completed a three-point play, time down to 0:03 seconds, to push the Elasto Painters on top by one. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson drove past Gabe Norwood but found his path blocked by Fuller and put up a twisting shot that missed at the buzzer, preserving ROS’ slim lead.

TNT missed the services of veteran stabilizers Jayson Castro and Kelly Williams while Rain or Shine’s Caelan Tiongson, nursing a calf strain, sat out his fourth straight contest. Coach Yeng Guiao pounced on TNT’s depleted lineup and produced a big edge in bench points, 41-3. In the first two games of the series, ROS was limited to an average of 86 points by the league’s top defensive squad with Fuller held to 18 in Game One and 13 in Game Two. On the offensive end, TNT stamped its class as a volume shooting juggernaut with an average of 94 field goal attempts, a major jump from its conference clip of 83.3.

But in Game Three, ROS brought down TNT’s field goal tries to 81 and dominated the boards, 54-35, with an 18-5 advantage on the offensive glass resulting in a huge disparity in second chance points, 19-8. Fuller’s re-emergence as an offensive force was crucial as he dropped 26 points, outscoring Hollis-Jefferson who finished with 23.

The distribution of minutes was another difference maker. Eight Elasto Painters logged at least 20 minutes with Fuller the only player timing 30 or more. In contrast, five TNT players logged at least 20 minutes, including two with 40 or more and all five clocking 30 or more. Guiao relied on a deep rotation to wear down TNT. Coach Chot Reyes concentrated on a five-man core with JP Erram scoring 27 points to lead the charge. RR Pogoy fired 22. Rey Nambatac and Calvin Oftana tallied 17 apiece. The only others to score were Kim Aurin with two and Glenn Khobuntin with one. In an extended series, Guiao’s troops are at an advantage because of deeper rotation. Williams’ absence in the last two outings was felt as it meant one less man to depend on. Reyes has used six starters in the series and Guiao, 10. The only ROS players without a start in the semis are Shaun Ildefonso, Luis Villegas and Beau Belga (no start the entire conference).

Despite ROS’ dominant numbers in Game Three, it was lucky to win by just one. Was it a fluke win? Can Guiao repeat? TNT hasn’t lost two in a row this conference and as defending Governors’ Cup champion, the Tropa is battling to retain its title. Game Four is set at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight. TNT will attempt to open a commanding 3-1 series lead while ROS hopes to even it up. Expect another slam-bang encounter.