Jay R. Gotera Saudi Gazette MANILA — The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters began the defense of their 2012 Governors' Cup championship on a winning note, repulsing the San Mig Coffee Mixers, 79-75, Wednesday night at the Mall of Asia Arena as this year's PBA season-ending tournament unfolded. The Mixers, then playing under the banner of B-Meg, were the same club that the E-Painters vanquished after seven games in last year's Governors' Cup Finals. Former Best Import awardee Arizona Reid returned to the PBA on a triumphant note, notching a double-double of 28 points and 20 rebounds, to lead the E-Painters to a thrilling come-from-behind victory. Reid's performance made up for the absence of Gilas Pilipinas stars Gabe Norwood and Jeff Chan who suited up but were not used by ROS head coach Yeng Guiao. Norwood and Chan played key roles in the Nationals' dramatic runner-up finish in the 27th Fiba-Asia Championship, which earned the Philippines a berth in next year's Fiba-World Cup in Spain. San Mig Coffee also did not use its own Fiba-Asia star, Marc Pingris, who has been given a week off to rest his weary bones after his spectacular performance in the just-concluded tournament, particularly in the Philippines' historic victory against South Korea in the semifinals. The key to the E-Painters' victory Wednesday was their air-tight defense that limited the Mixers to a single field goal in the final eight minutes of the match. The Mixers appeared to be in full control of the match as they led 69-60 at the start of the final quarter. But the E-Painters unleashed an 8-0 run, and then Beau Belga nailed a triple to tie the game at 73-all. After an exchange of layups that kept the match tied at 75-all, ROS' Paul Lee converted two free throws to break the final deadlock. San Mig Coffee's returning import Marqus Blakely then committed a turnover, leading to a split charity by Lee, giving ROS a three-point edge. Blakely then missed a three-pointer that would have tied the match. Ronnie Matias sank one of two free throws to seal the win for ROS. Lee finished with 12 points, while Chris Tiu chipped in with 10 for ROS. Blakely led San Mig Coffee with 26 points, while Mark Barroca added 11. In the curtain-raiser, import Markeith Cummings exploded for 37 points and 11 rebounds in an auspicious PBA debut to lead GlobalPort Batang Pier to a scintillating 101-94 victory over Air 21 Express. It was GlobalPort's first victory after losing their last 11 games in the previous PBA tournament. Cummings, a young American college player, played his first game as a professional here, quickly stamping his mark as an explosive scorer. New Batang Pier acquisition Jay Washington, formerly from Petron, ably backed up Cummings with 15 points. Leading Air21 was its returning import Nash Graham who scored 31 points, while Nino Canaleta added 19 markers.
