TWO teams will come out of Friday night’s doubleheader holding a 3-2 lead in the PBA 50th Season Commissioner’s Cup semifinals and just a win away from advancing to the championship.
After drawing a conference-high 14,615 fans last holiday Wednesday, expect another banner crowd in this payday Friday.
Here is a preview.
MERALCO VS. TNT
Series tied 2-2
When: Friday, May 29. 5:15 p.m.
Where: Smart-Araneta Coliseum
Battle for the lead
Meralco and TNT shoot for a crucial 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series on Friday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. The Bolts essentially kept their conference alive after a massive 101-90 win to even things up in their series.
Cansino gets going
CJ Cansino gave the Bolts a shot in the arm when he regained his form by scoring 17 points to lead all Meralco locals in scoring. Cansino has been struggling since sustaining a fractured nose but his performance in Game 4 could be proof that he has already adjusted playing through the injury.
Import story
Meralco and TNT's imports had contrasting debuts, shooting-wise. Patrick Gardner had 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field and 13 rebounds in the Bolts' victory, but also fouled out late in the fourth. Chris McCullough had 24 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks, but was 0-of-5 from threes and 7-of-17 from the field. You could only imagine the difference had McCullough made his shots in Game 4.
Scoring off turnovers
The Bolts scored 26 points off 15 turnovers - the Tropang 5G’s highest in the series with RR Pogoy having a series-high six turnovers in spite of his 14-point night, and Chris McCullough accounting for four.
BARANGAY GINEBRA VS. RAIN OR SHINE
Series tied, 2-2
When: Friday, May 29. 7:30 p.m.
Where: Smart-Araneta Coliseum
Can Rain or Shine win two in a row?
Rain or Shine will look to do what Ginebra did to them during this series, win two in a row in its bid to reclaim the drivers’ seat. The Elasto Painters tied the series at 2-2 last Wednesday with a 97-85 victory after the Gin Kings captured Games 3 and 4.
Three-point shooting woes
Ginebra will seek to regain its shooting touch on Friday. In Game 4, the Gin Kings shot a season-low five three-pointers with Justin Brownlee and Scottie Thompson contributing two apiece. The expectation of Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao is that Ginebra will be able to recapture their form as Game 4 was a case of the law of averages catching up with the Kings.
Huge contributions from ROS locals
A total of nine local players scored at least five points in Game 4 with Gian Mamuyac leading the way with 12 points. Jhonard Clarito regained his bearings by scoring 11 after going for only five in Game 3, while Adrian Nocum and rookie Christian Manaytay also delivered 11 apiece. The locals led Rain or Shine in the second-quarter pullaway at a time when Jaylen Johnson spent most of his time on the bench after being slapped with a flagrant foul penalty 1.
In contrast, only Scottie Thompson (20 points) and Japeth Aguilar (10 points, 10 rebounds) scored in double figures among Ginebra's locals. RJ Abarrientos had his lowest output of the series with eight points, after averaging 21 in the first three games.
Eyes on Guiao, Chua
A sidelight to this series is the spat between Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao and Ginebra team governor Alfrancis Chua, who had a verbal altercation in Game 4. The verbal war has also extended off the court, with Guiao accusing Chua of intimidating the referees since the start of the semifinals. Chua had his own accusations against Guiao of intimidating not just referees but players as well. Fans will be paying extra attention to the two figures in Game 5.
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