MANILA — Pushed to the edge of the cliff, the Mixers found a way to survive at least for another day. The San Mig Coffee Mixers employed a new defensive technique that turned out to be a winner as they beat the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 79-67, in Game 5 of their PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven semifinals series Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena. The win cut the Painters' lead in the series to 3-2 with Game 6 set for next week. San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone used a switching defense to finally solve the riddle of how to stop Rain or Shine's relentless offense. The tactic centered on the use of San Mig's athletic frontliners — Rafi Reavis, Joe Devance, and Marc Pingris — to quickly rush to the perimeter to choke Rain or Shine's long-range gunners. The formula proved perfect particularly in the last six minutes when the Mixers held the Painters to just a couple of baskets. As a result, Rain or Shine shot a miserable 32.9 percent from the field, including just 4-of-26 from beyond the arc. The Mixers won despite another cold night for their top gunner James Yap who finished with just two points on 1-of-7 shooting. Plagued with fouls, Yap played for just 23 minutes. Luckily, four Mixers stepped up in the absence of Yap's usual fiery offense. Peter June Simon, Devance, and Pingris combined for 21 of San Mig Coffee's 27 fourth quarter points. Devance led San Mig Coffee with 20 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals, and three blocks — without doubt his best game in the conference. Pingris added 18 points, 10 rebounds, and numerous hustle plays. Simon also had a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds. Mark Barroca also played superbly for the Mixers, finishing with 11 points and four steals as he outwitted Rain or Shine's point guards. As proof of San Mig Coffee's defensive success, only one Rain or Shine player — Larry Rodriguez — scored in double digits with 14 points. Top gunners Paul Lee and Jeff Chan were missing in action, with Lee scoring only eight points on 3-of-12 shooting. Chan was even more terrible, bleeding for just three points on 1-of-8 shooting from the field. Cone was brimming with confidence after the game. “Everyone stepped up for their brother, their leader James (Yap),” he said. Aside from Devance, Simon, and Barroca, Cone also cited the contributions of his role players despite their brief stint in the game. He was referring to Jonas Villanueva, JC Intal, and Wesley Gonzales. “They said, ‘Give me two minutes and I'm gonna play with all my heart,” said the San Mig Coffee head coach. “I'm really proud of those guys doing it. Tough game but we have to do this one game at a time. They beat us twice in a row. But we believe we can beat them twice in a row,” Cone said.
