GI-NE-BRA! Kings stun E-Painters, 81-79, make semis

GI-NE-BRA! Kings stun E-Painters, 81-79, make semis


(UPDATED) Barangay Ginebra does it again.

The Kings completed their upset of second seed Rain or Shine, shocking the Elasto Painters, 81-79, to win their knockout game and advance to the semifinals of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup before another raucous crowd at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Import Vernon Macklin sank two pressure-packed free throws with 11.1 ticks left to give Ginebra a two-point lead, and the Kings watched as Rain or Shine blew several chances to either seize the lead or tie the game in the dying seconds.

The 6-foot-10 Macklin, who went into the game averaging just 47 percent from the charity stripe, tied the game with a difficult tip-in with 54 seconds left before sinking the go-ahead freebies off a Bruno Sundov foul before swatting away a daring lay-up by Elasto Painter gunner Jeff Chan in the ensuing play.

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Rain or Shine was still in a good position to tie–or even win–the ballgame with 6.2 ticks left.

Paul Lee, however, missed a triple from the left side, then the 6-foot-2 Chan, with a clear look, incredibly bungled a point-blank lefty lay-up.

Gabe Norwood then failed to get better control of the leather in his put-back attempts before Chan scrambled and heaved a prayer that only hit the glass as time expired, sealing the Kings’ march into the semifinals.

The pulsating win, coming on the heels of an equally gutsy 90-83 decision last Saturday, enabled the seventh-ranked Gin Kings to become the ninth team in league history to overhaul a twice-to-beat disadvantage in the quarterfinals.

More importantly, Ginebra forged a mouth-watering best-of-five semifinals clash with archrival Talk ‘N Text, which booted out Petron Blaze last Sunday.

MVP: Put to the sternest test of his young PBA career, Macklin passed it with flying colors.

Stepping up when Ginebra needed him the most, the former Detroit Piston showed steely nerves as he made the two eventual game-clinching free throws then capped his impressive night with a big block on Chan in the crunch.

Now that he was able to help the Gin Kings reached the Final Four, can Macklin steer them all the way to the Promised Land?

X-Factor: For the second straight game, forward Kerby Raymundo proved age is just a mere number.

Squeezing the best on what’s left in his 32-year-old tank, the former Letran College star came up big anew with 13 points, including back-to-back jumpers early in the fourth that gave Ginebra a precious 70-65 cushion.

Raymundo, who also stepped up with 14 points in the series opener, will now be tested to the hilt by a slew of Talk ‘N Text veterans led by Ranidel de Ocampo.

Game Turning Point: Although the Gin Kings enjoyed a five-point cushion early in the fourth, the Elasto Painters mightily charged back using their dreaded shooting from beyond the arc, sinking four straight triples before Lee sank an off-the-glass runner for a 79-76 lead with 2:43 left.

Then Macklin took over. He initially translated a Raymundo miss into a put-back with under a minute left then–staying calm and composed–made the marginal points at the 15-foot line.

The Elasto Painters could only blame themselves after failing to capitalize on three golden opportunities in the last 6.2 seconds.

Quotable Quotes:

“It's an amazing feeling now. I just went out there and played hard. I’m glad I was able to make the big plays,” said Macklin.

“They underestimated us. They underestimated our players. Nakalimutan nila i-anticipate ‘yung puso ng mga bata. Character built us. A semis (stint) with this group is an accomplishment to my players. Nobody can think na makakapasok kami ng semis. I know he (Macklin) can make it (free throws). I told Vernon, ‘I'll stick with you and I’m gonna live and die with you’. He made two free throws. ‘Yun ang sinasabing weakness niya pero ‘yun ang nagpanalo sa amin. Nagawa nila (Painters) ‘yung play sa huli at ‘di lang nila na-shoot. They forgot that we're a never-say-die team,” stated Ginebra coach Alfrancis Chua.


Source: yahoo