TOP seeds San Miguel and Barangay Ginebra took care of business right away in the opener of the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals Friday night at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Beermen watched as Andrei Caracut’s game-tying three fell short at the buzzer to escape with a 101-98 win over Rain or Shine.
Meanwhile, the Kings fended off a stubborn Meralco Bolts side, 92-88, to take a similar 1-0 lead in their own best-of-seven series.
Game 2 of the semis resumes on Sunday also at the MoA Arena.
The takeaways in Game 1 of the semis on Friday night
‘STAN’ STILL THE MAN
Bothered by hurting knees the past few seasons, the old, deadly Stanley Pringle showed up and proved he’s still a force to be reckoned with for Barangay Ginebra. The 37-year-old guard came off the bench to score a game-high 22 points on 3-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc, but was steady enough for coach Tim Cone to stay him in the game until the end. With injured Jamie Malonzo out for the rest of the season, the Kings certainly need those kind of numbers from the same man, who not too long ago, was among the team’s major scoring option.
JUNE MAR ANSWERS THE CALL FOR SAN MIGUEL
San Miguel remains the team of June Mar Fajardo as the veteran giant carried the Beermen on his broad shoulders against Rain or Shine, moving the team closer to a return to the finals where it is the defending champion. The seven-time MVP put up all-around numbers of 23 points on 8-of-11 efficiency on the floor, 11 rebounds, and five assists in a showing that could put him on top of the race for the Best Player of the Conference award. Fajardo was running third heading to the playoffs. But with top two candidates Robert Bolick of NLEX and Terrafirma top rookie Stephen Holt already out of the picture, the 6-foot-10 Fajardo is poised to take the top spot with the best-of-seven semis still a long ways to go.
THREE TO GO FOR LASSITER TO MOVE AT NO. 3 IN ALL-TIME 3-POINT SHOTS MADE
Marcio Lassiter’s quest to become the PBA’s all-time record holder for the most three point shots made continues to roll. Hitting 4-of-6 from beyond the arc against Rain or Shine, the Fil-Am gunner has raised his total to 1,216 or just three more to surpass Barangay Ginebra’s LA Tenorio at no. 3 with his total of 1,218. Lassiter is actually just 26 behind No. 2 Allan Caidic (1,242) and 34 from tying Jimmy Alapag's record of 1,250. With Tenorio hardly seeing action for the Kings, it’s certain Lassiter will be able to surpass him. As to whether his chase for the all-time record is going to be attained this season remains to be seen.
MISSED FREE THROWS HURT RoS ANEW
Free throws continue to be the waterloo of Rain or Shine. The Elasto Painters missed 11 free throws in Game 1 against the Beermen, foul shots that mattered considering the team just lost by three points. Rain or Shine had a slow start in the conference by losing its first four outings, which coach Yeng Guiao attributed to its poor performance from the foul line. Now the same missteps are hounding the team again.
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