PBA Fastbreak: Petron blows out Rain or Shine in game three

Petron Blaze over Rain or Shine, 106-73

The Best: Statement. That’s what this was. The Petron Blaze Boosters had a fast start, for the second straight game if I may add, but this time they finished the job, never letting up in beating the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters black and blue. Coach Gee Abanilla’s wards started off with a 30-12 first period, and they never lifted pressure off the gas pedal in this masterful rout. Now the series count stands at 2-1, and the momentum is definitely on the side of the Boosters.

(READ: Rain or Shine comes from behind to take 2-0 series lead over Petron)

The Worst: In stark contrast to their scintillating fourth quarter rally in Game 2, the Painters fired mostly blanks in this one. Usual reliables Paul Lee and Jeff Chan totaled just 5 points, missing all of their eight combined field goals. As a team, ROS made just 37% of its shots, and, combined with having fewer rebounds and assists and more turnovers, it’s clear that the Painters were simply outclassed by a more motivated rival. Coach Yeng’s wards coughed the ball up 24 times here, which led to 33 points-off-turnovers for the Boosters. The trio of Beau Belga, Chan, and Lee combined for half of their team’s turnover total.

Spidey Dominates: Arwind “Spiderman” Santos was at his best in Game 3, dropping a sublime double-double to lead Petron’s decisive win. Santos drained 3 treys on his way to scoring 22 points, while also shooting 7/7 from the line. More impressively, though, he grabbed a season-high 18 rebounds on top of 2 assists and 2 steals. He was playing perfect two-way ball against the Painters, and if this is any indication of how he’ll play in the foreseeable future, then ROS better batten down the hatches. – Rappler.com