RAIN or Shine gunner Jeff Chan was left to rue a final play gone terribly wrong as the Painters allowed San Mig to escape with a 77-76 victory and a 2-1 lead in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals on Wednesday night.
Coming off a timeout with 10 seconds left and behind by just a point, all Rain or Shine got from its final possession was a three-pointer by Chan from way, way out that fell short.
In all, Rain or Shine made just one field goal in the last four minutes of Game Three.
"Double time na kami sa pagtrabaho niyan," said a dejected Chan after missing his last attempt with Marc Pingris' hand on his face. "Mahirap na trabaho ngayon eh, kailangan naming manalo sa Game Four."
Chan felt the final play would have been better had backcourt partner Paul Lee been able to create, attract the attention of the defense, and freed Chan for his usually deadly spot-up jumper.
Instead, the former Far Eastern University shooter felt Lee's pass to him from the top of the three-point arc came a bit too soon, forcing him to create a shot against Pingris' defense.
"Dapat makapag-create si Paul 'nun. Eh siguro nakita niya na open ako ng konti kaya naipasa niya," said Chan, who finished with 11 points. "Medyo napaaga lang (ang pasa). Saka medyo matagal pa ang oras."
But more than anything else, Chan is worried about the way they have allowed San Mig to dominate the boards in the title series since Game One.
The Painters were outrebounded for the third straight game, 39-49.
"Iyung rebounds mas maganda talaga makuha namin, eh kahit sa Petron (semifinal series) talo kami sa rebounds. I think makadikit man lang, kasi more possessions yun eh," he said.
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