Upset second-seeded Rain or Shine to advance to semis
The weakest part of Vernon Macklin’s game has always been his free throw shooting.
Not last night. Not when Barangay Ginebra’s PBA Commissioner’s Cup stint was on the line, and not when the Gin Kings were on the verge of completing another playoff comeback for the ages.
A 47 percent free throw shooter, Macklin sank two charities with 11.1 seconds left before the rest of the Kings watched Rain or Shine flub three clear attempts that sealed an 81-79 victory for a Final Four seat before close to 13,000 fans at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Macklin’s heroics allowed Ginebra to reverse a twice-to-beat advantage the Elasto Painters had coming into the series, odds that were so tall it had only been done eight out of 66 times before, especially with the Kings continuing to play without Mark Caguioa.
“People say that’s the weakness of his game, but he gave us this win,” Ginebra coach Alfrancis Chua said. “I knew he could make it. I have been giving him that chance all conference long by not pulling him out of crucial moments of the game.”
Ginebra, which actually pulled off the caper for the third time, thus advanced to face powerhouse Talk ‘N Text in a best-of-five semifinal series that could start as early as Friday.
“They underestimated us,” Chua said in an obvious jab at Rain or Shine and its coaching staff. “You can tell right away that even after we beat them (in Game 1) that they were going to make adjustments and all that.
But they didn’t anticipate the hearts of my players,” Chua said.
Macklin finished with 24 points, 16 rebounds and six assists. He scored the last four Ginebra points with his putback off a Kerby Raymundo miss with 52.9 seconds left forging the game’s last tie at 79. /inquirer
