It was a broken play that was fixed in the nick of time by a reluctant shooter who just happened to have the chutzpah to make the winning basket.
With eleven seconds to go and his team behind by two against a team with a twice-to-beat advantage, Jonathan Grey received a kickout pass in the corner from import Malcolm White after all inside options were shut down and released the game winning three-point field goal to allow Globalport Batang Pier to escape with a 114-113 triumph over the top-seeded Rain or Shine Elasto Painters at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, setting up an unlikely do-or-die tiff for the semifinals of the 2018 PBA Commissioner's Cup.
Grey, who was named Player of the Game for churning out 22 points off the bench, wasn't even thinking the ball would be going to him on the last play as Coach Pido Jarencio designed it for White first and then star guard Stanley Pringle second.
"That was a scramble already in the last play," Grey said, in the vernacular, to ESPN5's Rizza Diaz. "That play was supposed to be for Malcolm (White) but when all options were exhausted, I got the ball and just shot it."
Grey, the second year forward out of the College of St. Benilde who was also a Gilas Pilipinas cadet, led a local charge that had to keep up with the Elasto Painters when White picked up his fifth foul in the waning moments of the third period. It also helped the Batang Pier's cause that Rain or Shine flubbed a majority of its free throw attempts; keeping the door open for a comeback that finally materialized.
The Elasto Painters still had a chance to pull out a victory, but the Globalport defenses held its ground as the buzzer sounded to make the first shocker of the playoffs official.
It was only the third loss of Rain or Shine in the conference but it also marks its first losing streak after dropping an 85-100 decision against TNT KaTropa to end the elimination round.
After a highly physical elimination round encounter that saw the Elasto Painters survive 96-90, all bets were off even if Globalport barely made the quarterfinal round as the eighth seed (and a twice-to-beat disadvantage). In that tiff, Maverick Ahanmisi and Kelly Nabong (now with San Miguel Beer) were sent off and Chris Tiu sustaining a bloody mouth after being elbowed by import Malcolm White. A near bench-clearing incident almost ensued as a result, prompting many to anticipate this match-up as an intriguing pairing in this first phase of the playoffs.
Raymond Almazan scorched early for Rain or Shine with eight points in the opening period but had to miss time due to picking up three fouls in the first half. Sophomore Ed Daquioag and two-time PBA MVP James Yap took the scoring cudgels for the Elasto Painters as Best Player of the Conference (BPC) candidates Sean Anthony and Stanley Pringle kept it close on the other end.
With 35 seconds left in the second canto, former Rain or Shine mainstay Ryan Araña collided with Elasto Painters' starting guard Chris Tiu on a fastbreak play sending the former De La Salle University ace to the ground, sprawled motionless. After a couple of minutes, he limped to the bench and eventually to the locker room, initially diagnosed with back spasms after the scary fall and did not return.
Tiu and Yap ended the first half with back-to-back triples to give the top seeds an eight point lead at the break, 60-52.
In third quarter, White, Pringle and Bradwyn Guinto picked up their fourth fouls which began limiting the options of Coach Pido Jarencio as the Elasto Painters went to Johnson in the paint and the 6'9" University of Miami (Florida) product responded with inside incursions until White was whistled for his fifth foul and had Rain or Shine enjoying a sixteen point edge-their biggest lead of the game.
But the late heroics of Pringle and Grey brought the lead back down to eight again, 91-83 to end the period.
Globalport wasn't done, though, as a decisive 15-0 run dating back to the third, behind Anthony, Pao Javelona and Mo Tautuaa tied the count at 91 as the locals began to take over for the Batang Pier. It was tied again at 96 before the Elasto Painters went on a 10-2 tear starring Almazan and Johnson, but timely hits from Pringle, Grey and White (who was brought in towards the midway mark of the final quarter) had the Batang Pier answering with a 10-2 run of their own, tying the count at 108.
Gilas standout Gabe Norwood gave Rain or Shine the lead for the last time with a lay-up at 112-110 with less than a minute remaining and Ahanmisi had several opportunities to put the game out of reach but made only one of four free throws down the stretch.
White led all scorers with 28 markers to go with sixteen rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal while Johnson paced the Elasto Painters with 24 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists but six turnovers.
The sudden death clash happens this Thursday at the Mall of Asia Arena with the winner of the series going up against the victor of the match-up between Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and the Meralco Bolts. Ginebra leads that best-of-three series, 1-0.
THE SCORES
Globalport Batang Pier (114)-White 28, Grey 22, Pringle 21, Anthony 11, Elorde 7, Taha 6, Tautuaa 6, Javelona 4, Espinas 3, Guinto 3, Teng 3, Araña 0.
Rain or Shine Elastopainters (113)-Johnson 24, Almazan 17, Yap 16, Ahanmisi 15, Daquioag 14, Tiu 10, Norwood 9, Belga 8, Torres 0.
EXTRA DRIBBLES
Ryan Arana took a hard fall after trying to block Chris Tiu's layup at the 35-second mark of the second quarter. He was assisted to the bench and never returned to the game.
GlobalPort outscored Rain or Shine in several departments: points off turnovers (21-13), points in the paint (40-34), second chance points (16-8) and fastbreak points (21-16).
NEXT GAME
Game 2 on July 12 at the MOA Arena