RAIN Or Shine is back in familiar territory, the semifinals.
The Elasto Painters methodically picked apart Barangay Ginebra before coasting to an impressive 102-89 rout to sweep their quarterfinals series, 2-0, and move forward in the 2016 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
JR Quinahan continued to shine once again as he chipped in Rain or Shine with 21 points and five rebounds while Jeff Chan was likewise steady, top scoring with his 22 points.
Rain or Shine thus moved into the semifinals for the ninth straight conference.
Raymund Almazan’s lay-up with just over 10 minutes left gave the Painters their largest lead of the game at 15, 79-64, which practically cemented their entry to the next round and the complete demise of the Gin Kings, who had no answer all game long to their foe’s efficiency.
The Elasto Painters will now face the winner of the quarters series between top seed San Miguel Beer and Star, who are set to face off again in a do-or-die game to determine who moves forward, in a best-of-seven semis clash.
The Beermen, who had a twice-to-beat edge but got stunned last Monday, and the Hotshots go at it tonight at 7 p.m. with the ticket to the round of four on the line.
Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao had nothing but praises for his squad.
“We played good tonight and avoided the bad start we had last game,” he said. “We played excellent defense and we’re hustling. We’re the most consistent team in the league (in terms of semifinals appearances) and we’re proud of that.”
On the other hand, Barangay Ginebra finished the tournament in another disappointing fashion, once again exiting in the quarterfinals just like the past few conferences.
Early on, Rain or Shine already showed that it wants no part of a rubber match.
The Elasto Painters came out of the gates with bad intentions, pouncing on the Gin Kings right away to zoom to a double-digit lead, 31-21, at the end of the first quarter.
Several minutes into the second, Rain or Shine expanded its lead further, pushing it to 12, 42-30, after a basket from Henderson-Niles.
Ginebra managed to get itself back into the thick of things, finishing the first half fairly well to slice Rain or Shine’s lead to just six, 50-44, at halftime.
However, that proved to be the Gin Kings’ last stand as the prolific Elasto Painters restored their large lead right away.
Game Today
(Quarterfinals, Smart Araneta
Coliseum)
7 p.m. – Star vs. San Miguel Beer
