San Miguel recovered from 14 points in the fourth period to nail the win that had the trappings of a classic.
CJ Perez hit the biggest baskets as San Miguel completed a 107-100 come-from-behind win over Rain or Shine in Game Four and advance to the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup Finals.
Perez fired 26 points, none bigger than the stepback triple with 25.7 ticks to go that gave the Beermen a 104-100 lead they never relinquished.
The spitfire guard would add a split from the foul line after that before Chris Ross sealed the win with a pair of freebies from the foul line.
June Mar Fajardo also put up a stellar outing with 17 points, 23 rebounds, six assists, two steals, and three blocks to earn the Best Player of the Game honors.
Don Trollano fired 20 points, including seven in a 16-4 run that allowed the Beermen to erase a 75-89 deficit early in the fourth period and close in, 91-93. He had 13 in the fourth period.
But Rain or Shine’s youth brigade retaliated.
A mini 5-0 rally highlighted by Gian Mamuyac’s fall away jumper put the Elasto Painters ahead 98-91 with still 5:15 remaining in the game.
From there, Perez, Trollano, and Fajardo conspired to turn things around for the Beermen, with the seven-time MVP scoring on a putback with 1:07 left on the clock to give them the 101-100 lead for good.
“The players just didn’t quit. They really played well especially in the start of the fourth. They just wanted to end the series thats why they played really hard in the fourth period,” said SMB coach Jorge Gallent.
The win put Mamuyac’s 30-point game to waste.
Mamuyac held the fort for Rain or Shine early in the fourth period but was a non0factor in the final five minutes of action.
Adrian Nocum and Santi Santillan eached scored 14 points, while Anton Asistio and Belga had 13 and 12, respectively.
The Scores:
SAN MIGUEL 107 – Perez 26, Trollano 20, Fajardo 17, Cruz 11, Romeo 10, Teng 8, Bronidial 6, Ross 5, Tautuaa 2, lassiter 2, Enciso 0
RAIN OR SHINE 100 – mamuyac 30, Santillan 14, Nocum 14, Asistio 13, Belga 12, Clarito 8, Caracut 3, Ildefonso 2, Norwood 2, Demusis 2, Datu 0
Quarterscores: 25-27, 41-55, 75-87, 107-100