Game today:
Araneta Coliseum
6:45 p.m.- B-Meg vs. Rain or Shine
Up two games to one, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters try to move a game away from clinching their first-ever title as they clash with the B-Meg Llamados tonight in Game 4 of the 37th PBA Governors’ Cup best-of-seven finals at the Araneta Coliseum.
The two teams split the first two games of the championship duel but the Painters went up again with a masterful 93-84 Game 3 victory last Friday.
The Painters dominated the Llamados in Game 3 despite the absence of rookie guard Paul Lee, who re-injured his left shoulder in the closing minutes of Game 2.
“We just played as hard as we can tonight without Paul,” Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao told pba.ph moments after their resounding win.
Rain or Shine hardly felt Lee’s absence in Game 3 with Jamelle Cornley, Jeff han, Jireh Ibañez, Ronjay Buenafe and Gabe Norwood all scoring in double figures.
Cornley, the conference’s Best Import awardee, bounced back from a so-so Game 2 performance by firing a game-high 26 points and grabbing 15 rebounds.
Chan scored 18 points, all coming in the second half, where the Painters led by as many as 21 points.
“The biggest compliment we can do is play for Paul and commit this series to him. He helped us get here (finals), so the best thing we can do is to finish it for him,” said Guiao.
Guiao praised his wards for playing hard.
“I felt in my heart that the boys knew this was their destiny and they’re claiming their destiny. They played with a lot of toughness that comes from the inside. It is built into them, not from the back of any T-shirt,” said Guiao, taking a pot shot at the “Only tough guys need apply” line printed at the back of the warm-up jerseys of the Llamados.
B-Meg coach Tim Cone benched James Yap and Peter June Simon in the fourth quarter of Game 3 and did not utilize import Marqus Blakely until the final three minutes of the game. With Rain or Shine leading big, Cone said he opted to rest his star players in preparation for Game 4.