TNT and Rain or Shine completed the semifinal cast of the PBA Philippine Cup on a rainy Saturday night, eking out contrasting wins in their respective do-or-die encounters at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The Tropang 5G leaned on two clutch free throws by veteran Kelly Williams to nose out the third-seeded Magnolia Hotshots, 80-79.
Leonard Santillan on the other hand, willed Rain or Shine back from an early 11-point deficit to a 103-92 win over No. 2 seed NLEX.
READ Guiao embraces 'gate crashers' tag for gritty Rain or Shine squad
The separate victories set up a third semifinal meeting between TNT and Rain or Shine this season after they both hurdled twice-to-beat disadvantage in the quarterfinals.
The Tropang 5G however, have won their previous two semis series against the Elasto Painters inside five games.
Here are the hot takeaways in the pair of do-or-die quarterfinals matches.
1. A REBOUND, 2 FREE THROWS, AND A STEAL CLINCH IT FOR TNT – that’s the exact sequence that unfolded in the last 2.7 seconds when the Tropang 5G eased the Hotshots out of the playoffs. Williams snared his lone offensive rebound of the game by beating Rafi Reavis – fielded for defensive purposes - to the draw and getting a foul from the 47-year-old big man. A former league MVP, Williams did well in the only time he trooped to the foul line by sinking both free throws to give TNT a one-point lead. Then coming off a timeout, Calvin Oftana anticipated a Rome dela Rosa inbound pass to Ian Sangalang in the middle to preserve the win and punch for TNT a ticket to the semifinals. Oftana’s crucial steal was his third for the game and almost half of the total of seven steals by the Tropang 5G. TNT outrebounded Magnolia, 46-44, shot slightly better from the foul line (10-of-13 compared to 19-of-25), but had lesser steals (7-11).
2. UNCERTAINTY HOUNDS MAGNOLIA IN THE OFFSEASON – the Purefoods franchise faces yet a lot of questions heading to the offseason after another heartbreaker of an end to another promising conference. Even after the Hotshots failed to hold a grip of the No. 1 spot at the end of the eliminations, a twice-to-beat advantage as the third seeded team still put the team in good position to advance in the semis. Unfortunately, things ended up in shambles for a Magnolia side that reinforced its roster this season with the acquisition of young guns Zavier Lucero, Jerom Lastimosa, Peter Alfaro, and later on William Navarro. Changes will certainly be effected during the offseason especially with Magnolia failing to break through again since last winning a championship in the 2018 Governors Cup.
3. ARIS DIONISIO MAKES UP FOR PAUL LEE ABSENCE – the Hotshots obviously missed the outside sniping of the 36-year-old Lee, who strangely was only 1-of-3 from the field – his lone goal was a 4-point shot made in the second quarter – to finish with four points in 17 minutes of play. Dionisio though, shone on the big stage and finished with 12 points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting from the floor including 2-of-2 from three-point range. It was actually the 29-year-old gunner from Saint Clare College who kept Magnolia in the thick of the game when everything seemed falling apart for the team in the third quarter.
4. ROAD TO SEMIS REMAINS ELUSIVE FOR NLEX – the Road Warriors failed to sustain a good first half and crumbled in the face of the Elasto Painters’ surge in the fourth quarter. Andre Caracut hitting a three-point shot to beat the third quarter buzzer was a portent of things to come as Rain or Shine finally moved to the driver’s seat, 78-77. Caelan Tiongson, Mike Malonzo, and Jhonard Clarito then poured on the heat in the final 12 minutes to frustrate NLEX’s bid of advancing to the semis for the first time in four years. This also marks the second time the Road Warriors failed to advance deep into the playoffs despite twice-to-beat advantage after the 2019 Governors’ Cup, where they lost to the Northport Batang Pier in the quarterfinals as the top-seeded team.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
