MERALCO sealed its place in the semifinals of the PBA Philippine Cup, while Rain or Shine forged a sudden-death against TNT in their best-of-three quarterfinals.
The Bolts clamped down high-scoring Robert Bolick en route to a 100-81 win over NLEX and will face No. 2 Barangay Ginebra Kings in the best-of-seven semis.
The Elasto Painters meanwhile, leaned on a big scoring windup to beat the Tropang Giga, 121-113, to even their own series at 1-1 and bring it to a deciding Game 3 on Wednesday.
Here are some of the takeaways in Day 3 of the quarterfinals:
RAIN OR SHINE LIVES UP ANEW TO UNDERDOG TAG
Over the years, Rain or Shine has always been the underdog and sometimes underdogs win. Such was the case last Sunday when the Elasto Painters brought down No. 4 TNT Tropang Giga to send their best-of-three series to a deciding game. The team co-owned by Raymond Yu and Terry Que has pulled off several surprises in the past, It has won two PBA championships and a had couple of finals appearances. It won’t be surprising if basketball fans would be rooting for the only independent team left in the playoffs.
CLARITO’S STAR ON THE RISE
Slowly making a name for himself at Rain or Shine is the unheralded Jhonard Clarito. A second-round draft pick of the Elasto Painters in the Season 47 draft out of De Ocampo College, the 6-foot-2 guard has a breakout season after toiling on the bench in his rookie year. Now he has become a major piece in coach Yeng Guiao’s rotation who showed his worth with the Elasto Painters’ season on the line, hitting the go-ahead three-pointer in the Game 2 win over the Tropang Giga. Clarito registered a career-high 29 points, including 5-of-5 from downtown. No wonder, Rain or Shine management quickly signed him to a new two-year contract extension.
BOLICK FALLS SHORT AGAIN
Robert Bolick, known as a prolific scorer, is again held to a cameo appearance in the playoffs. Back in the quarterfinals since the 2022 Commissioner’s Cup while still with Northport, the former San Beda star, now with NLEX, again failed to advance to the semifinals. It must have saddened him and his fans especially after he torched Meralco with 48 points in Game 1, a career best. The question now is: will he continue to stay with the Road Warriors or find a new team to attain his dream.
HUGE TURNAROUND FOR MERALCO
What a big turnaround for Meralco. From being a team on the verge of missing the playoffs three weeks ago, to becoming the second to clinch a berth in the semis. Three straight wins to end the eliminations, including huge ones against contenders Magnolia and the then undefeated San Miguel Beer, allowed the Bolts to have the momentum going to the playoffs, where they swept the Road Warriors. On a five-game win streak, the team is expected to bring the same energy heading to the semis where Barangay Ginebra awaits them.
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