Rain or Shine and TNT refused to go quietly into the offseason, pulling off heart-stopping wins to send their PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinal matchups to decisive games this Saturday. Rain or Shine weathered held off NLEX to escape with a 92-88 win, while TNT kept their Grand Slam hopes alive by edging Magnolia 89-88.
It was gritty, it was tense, and it was playoff basketball at its finest. Here's how both teams extended their respective quarterfinal series to one more game.
Rain or Shine's defensive blueprint worked
From the opening tip, it was clear that Rain or Shine came in with one defensive goal: disrupt Robert Bolick's flow. They had seen what he was capable of in four prior meetings with averages of 28.3 points, seven rebounds, and 9.5 assists on an efficient 58.3 TS%. And they weren't about to let him dictate the terms this time.
Knowing Bolick thrives off ball screens to generate offense, Rain or Shine threw a variety of coverages at him to keep him guessing. They hedged hard to force the ball out of his hands, deployed late switches to make him hesitate between attacking and passing, and executed peel switches to perfection - a quick defensive switch to help on the drive while staying home on shooters. The defensive game plan worked. Bolick was held to just 15 points on poor efficiency, with only five rebounds and three assists to go with three turnovers. Most notably, he went just 1-of-11 from beyond the arc and the 4-point line, as Rain or Shine closed out hard and forced him into awkward, contested looks.
Still, NLEX found some daylight in the second half. Xyrus Torres caught fire, scoring 14 of his 20 points after the break on a scorching 71.4 TS%, thanks to constant movement and confident pull-ups. Javee Mocon and JB Bahio made their presence felt on the glass, combining for 25 rebounds and fueling a flurry of second-chance points in the third quarter.
But when momentum seemed to swing, Jhonard Clarito rose to the moment. He delivered a 20-point, 21-rebound double-double performance, outworking everyone on both ends and sealing the win with pure hustle and guts.
With Saturday's game looming, NLEX will need to adjust by finding ways to free Bolick from traps and deny Rain or Shine the luxury of dictating the pace. Whether that means better off-ball movement, quicker decision-making, or diversifying their screening actions, they will have to respond fast or see their stellar eliminations and conference campaign end abruptly on Saturday.
TNT cracks Magnolia's defensive code
For three and a half quarters, it felt like Magnolia had full command of the game and a spot in the semifinals within reach. They dictated the tempo, dissected TNT's defense through the pick-and-roll orchestrated by the ever-reliable Mark Barroca, and constantly forced rotations with Jerom Lastimosa's dribble penetrations. Magnolia also made good use of Ian Sangalang's post-ups and William Navarro's timely rim cuts, carving up TNT's defense with sharp execution.
The game plan was textbook: rack up paint touches and let ball movement do the rest. And for the most part, it worked as they dished out 23 assists on 32 made field goals. But when it came time to finish the job, TNT flipped the switch. Despite shooting an abysmal 6-of-28 (21.4%) from beyond the arc, TNT found a lifeline through the red-hot RR Pogoy, who erupted for 30 points on a 62.8 TS%.
Magnolia tried to put Paul Lee on Pogoy, a questionable decision given Lee's defensive reputation, and stuck with their switching scheme - since it was a mobile big was ready to pick him up with William Navarro or Zav Lucero. TNT recognized this and repeatedly ran ghost and blur screens, not to create direct separation, but to disorient Lee just enough for Pogoy to capitalize. That slight hesitation was all he needed. The result? A flurry of crucial baskets down the stretch, including a pull-up three from Pogoy and back-breaking kickouts that led to Kelly Williams and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser triples.
As they go into a decider come Saturday, Magnolia must rethink how they guard Pogoy and clean up their defensive communication. The switching scheme that served them well early on eventually became predictable, and TNT exploited the gaps with precise timing and misdirection. If Paul Lee remains Pogoy's primary defender, sending two to the ball might be feasible with the amount of length they can throw at TNT, to cover up the defensive rotations.