Rain or Shine braces for full-strength San Miguel Beer side parading former E-Painters import AZ Reid

RAIN or Shine braces for a full-strength San Miguel Beer side as it seeks to close out their PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinal series in Game Four on Sunday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

After losing to the Beermen, who played with an all-Filipino lineup in Game Three, the Elasto Painters face an SMB side that parades returning reinforcement AZ Reid in the crucial match that tips off at 5 p.m.

The E-Painters lost to the Beermen in their last two Final Four matchups, the first in the 2015 Governors’ Cup where SMB had Reid as their import who had a potent inside-outside combination with June Mar Fajardo, leading them to a 4-2 series win.

“That’s always a problem for us even when we played them last year,” ROS coach Yeng Guiao admitted. “Magandang combination yung AZ and June Mar: inside and outside talaga yung threat nila.”

“But in terms of adjustments, we are in a position to make the adjustments better,” he added. “Kasi si AZ, although kilala rin nila, but coming in on short notice and then playing a do-or-die game, iba pa rin yun kesa magsisimula ka sa conference.”

“I still feel we have the advantage coming in sa Sunday,” continued the fiery mentor, who had a run-in with his former import in their past encounter.

“As far as coach Yeng goes, it's nothing personal,” Reid reiterated. “He's a great coach. He molded me to be the player that I am today, and I thank him for that.”

“It's always a pleasure playing against my former team, especially against my former coach,” he added. “I look forward on facing them and seeing them tomorrow.”