Tough defense help San Mig Coffee to win the game

San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone dug deep into his bag of tricks with his Mixers facing elimination in their Philippine Cup semifinals series against Rain or Shine.

After their Game Five victory, Cone credited his team’s switching defense to try to halt the Elasto Painters’ vaunted attack — and for at least this match, the tactic worked.

Rain or Shine shot just 32.9 percent from the field, including 4-of-26 from beyond the arc. Cone played only three big men — Marc Pingris, Joe Devance, and Rafi Reavis — all game long, and instructed them to use their quickness to chase the Elasto Painters’ deadly guards along the perimeter.

Mark Barroca also performed well, hounding Rain or Shine’s point guards from baseline to baseline and setting the tone for the Mixers’ defense.


Only one Rain or Shine player, Larry Rodriguez, scored in double figures with 14 points. The Elasto Painters’ top guns, Lee and Jeff Chan, were both miserable from the field. Lee scored eight points but was just 3-of-12 from the field, while Chan was even worse, scoring just three points on 1-of-8 shooting.

But the defensive adjustment also had some casualties in the San Mig Coffee rotation. Yancy De Ocampo, who has started at center for the team through most of the tournament, did not play a single minute.

“They’ve been picking on him defensively, and we haven’t gotten enough from him offensively,” said Cone, who said De Ocampo could still see action later in the series.

Clash of styles

Cone noted that the series is a clash of styles between his system and that of Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao, who prefers to spread out minutes among his players.

While he said he admires Guiao’s system, Cone said it’s not for him. “As my mother would say, there’s more than one way to skin a cat,” said Cone. “We’re gonna stay through a seven, eight-man rotation.”

But a big key for the Mixers, according to Cone, is getting contributions from role players who only make short appearances during games. He praised Jonas Villanueva, JC Intal, and Wesley Gonzales for playing hard in their limited minutes without complaints.

“They said, ‘Give me two minutes and I’m gonna play with all my heart,” said Cone.

joe devance , marc pingris , mark barroca , rafi reavis , rain or shine elasto painters , san mig coffee mixers , tim cone

James Yap will not play in their final elims game

A bone spur in his right ankle has been slowing down San Mig Coffee superstar James Yap, according to coach Tim Cone.

The two-time Most Valuable Player has been noticeably slowed down in the last two games for the Mixers, failing to hit double-digits each time.


“He has a bone spur on his foot. We have him X-rayed two days ago. But I think he’ll get through it and he will be ready for the playoffs,” said Cone, who added his top gun has been playing through pain for most of the conference.

“He plays with a lot of stuff that people don’t know,” said Cone. “Injuries, such as this one, are tough to overcome, but the real therapy for it is rest, so I want to have him rested in our next game.”

Cone said he’s planning to rest Yap in the Mixers’ final assignment on Sunday against Meralco.

But despite hurting, Yap said he’s willing to play through all of it.

“Maraming beses na akong naglalaro na mayroon akong nararamdaman pero hindi ko ipinapaalam sa tao,” said Yap. “Kaya gusto ko pa ring maglaro sa Sunday. Pero ang mas sigurado, maglalaro ako sa quarterfinals.”

Nic Ocampo, the team’s physical therapist, said Yap’s injury isn’t a serious long-term injury.

“It was caused by the wear and tear mainly because of all the years he’s been playing,” said Ocampo. “Pero pwede naman niya ipa-treat yan after the playoffs dahil kaya pa naman siyang ilaro.

“Yung mga ganitong klaseng injury, ang best treatment is through strengthening and balance.”

San Mig Coffee is set to play Petron in the quarterfinals, with the Mixers enjoying a twice-to-beat advantage by virtue of being the No. 2 seed.

james yap , san mig coffee mixers , tim cone