MANILA – The Barangay Ginebra Kings kept their hopes alive of vying for the championship of the season-ending PBA Governors' Cup, nipping the Talk N Text Tropang Texters, 73-71, Wednesday night on the nightcap of a nerve-rattling semifinals twinbill at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The loss spelled the end of the Texters' championship bid as the Kings earned the right to contest the last Finals' berth against the B-Meg Llamados who earlier bowed to the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 92-82. With the win, the Painters advanced to the best-of-7 Finals beginning Sunday against the winner of the Ginebra-B-Meg playoff match Friday. Mark Caguioa once again was the driving force behind Ginebra's victory, posting 18 points, eight rebounds and two assists. Paul Harris led the Texters with 25 points, but his costly turnover with 39.9 seconds remaining spelled doom for his team. After the Texters forced the Kings to commit a 24-second violation, they had the chance to win the game or force overtime with Ginebra up, 73-71. But following a TNT timeout, Harris lost possession of the ball as he stepped out of bounds, giving the Kings a new lease on life. In the opener of Wednesday's super twinbill, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters engaged the B-Meg Llamados in a rugged and highly emotional match before emerging as winners. The win marked the first time that the Rain or Shine franchise will have a Finals appearance since it entered the league six years ago. The Painters tried to reach the Finals during the last Philippine Cup but were thwarted by the Powerade Tigers. On Wednesday night, the Painters played their hearts out to avoid another disappointing finish. Jeff Chan led the Painters, topscoring with 26 points, including a dagger three-pointer in the homestretch that gave Rain or Shine an 88-77 lead, breaking the backs of the rallying Llamados. Jamelle Cornley contributed 16 points and 16 rebounds while Ronjay Buenafe chipped in 11 points as the Painters finished the semis at the top of the standings with a 10-4 win-loss mark. Marcus Blakeley led B-Meg with 18 points, but his foul trouble and poor free-throw shooting didn't help his team's cause. He was 6-of-14 from the charity stripe in a foul-plagued 40 minutes of action. The Painters erected their biggest lead, 74-51, 2:41 remaining in the third quarter. But the Llamados fought back furiously, cutting the lead to a single digit, 77-86, with 2:54 left in the game. That was the closest they could come, however, as the Painters pulled away. The Texters repulsed the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 98-90, in a rare Monday night match at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Paul Harris led the Texters with 34 points, 16 rebounds, and five assists. Cornley led Rain or Shine with 27 points while Jeff Chan and J.R. Quinahan had 15 and 14 markers respectively.
