The Blackwater Elite have evened out the playing field against their 2019 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup playoffs competitors the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, snagging a 100-96 victory last Tuesday, July 23 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum to force match three in the quarterfinals series.
The Elite was led by Greg Smith, who totalled 31 points and 18 rebounds, two of the points being hit at the last 44.7 seconds of the match which secured his team a 97-93 lead. Rookie Bobby Ray Parks, Jr. also scored 28 points, while teammate Mac Belo chipped 14. Michael DiGregorio also added double-digit scoring at 13.
For Rain or Shine, Javee Mocon set the pace at 25 points, even providing his team a 6-0 run with less than six minutes left in the match. Mark Borboran, Beau Belga, Jjay Alejandro and Carl Montgomery provided 13, 13, 12, and 11 points respectively. Kris Rosales also chipped 10 points.
Blackwater interim coach Aris Dimaunahan shared how his players were motivated to redeem themselves from losing their match last Saturday, July 20, where they lost their eight-point lead in the last minute and a half of the fourth, saying in a mix of English and Filipino, “We learned a lot from Game 1. I told them that the real challenge in the playoffs is closing out quarters, closing out halves, closing out games. We learned big time in that game and we kinda made adjustments mentally, physically, and with our decision-making.”
He added, “[My players] refused to lose. We don’t want to go on vacation yet and that’s the commitment that we all have that we want to make it to the next phase. But again, it’s not going to be easy especially against a veteran, smart Rain or Shine team.”
The decider between the Elite and the Elasto Painters determining who will receive an entry ticket to the semifinals is happening on Thursday, July 25 at the same venue. Looking ahead, Coach Aris shared, “We haven’t achieved anything (yet). We still have to work doubly hard. I hope this win gets us into the right direction and the right frame of mind in playing our next game.”