ARIZONA Reid hopes that his third stint in the PBA would finally yield a championship for him after helping Rain or Shine reach the Finals for the second time this season.
By leading the Painters past Alaska, 97-94, in Game Five of the semifinals on Saturday, the 6-foot-3 forward has already improved on his previous performances in the PBA — semifinal finishes in the 2011 and 2013 Governors Cups.
But Reid is obviously not satisfied.
“It feels great (to be in the PBA Finals). This is my third stint here (in the PBA), and every time I get to the semis, I get stuck,” Reid said.
Reid admitted that being pushed to a Game Five by a pesky Alaska side is a good preparation for the Elasto Painters, who’ll be facing the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers for the second time in the Finals this season.
Rain or Shine lost to San Mig in six games during the Philippine Cup Finals.
“Winning Game Five is a great confidence booster for sure. We had a tough match up because they (Aces) have (Henry) Walker, one of the best imports out here,” said the former High Point standout.
“They shot the ball extremely well, but somehow, we were able to pull out the win.”
Now the Asia Coating franchise has a second opportunity to get back at San Mig Coffee and stop the Mixers from finishing the season with a Grand Slam.
“I just thank God I got this far. Now I look forward to the Finals,” said Reid, who averaged 27.6 points, 11.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists.
“When you play against San Mig, you ain’t just playing San Mig, but we have to be sharp, we can’t expect any calls from the game so got to make shots in the game and hope the ball bounce our way,” he added.
Game One of the Governors Cup best-of-five Finals is set on Tuesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
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