It would be foolish to think shooters like Jeff Chan will struggle just because of a previous scoreless performance. So the Rain or Shine sniper made sure to make his presence felt in the semi-finals.
Chan dropped a team-high 16 points on Thursday, as the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters managed to tie the series with a 105-97 Game 2 win over San Miguel.
Chan finally got his rhythm going after scoring four points in the first quarter. Unlike Game 1, where Chan took only four shot attempts — and missed all of them — the gunner was more involved, taking 10 shots.
And late in the fourth period, with the game still up for grabs, Chan rifled in back-to-back three-pointers to help the Elasto Painters douse the Beermen’s rally and complete his return to deadly form.
Chan shared later on that the Elasto Painters had worked on reviewing film to figure out the zone defense the Beermen were going to use.
“Nakuha ko kung saang spots, kasi pinag-aralan namin,” Chan said of better positioning on the floor.
But despite going ahead by as many as 25 points, the Elasto Painters still had to weather another storm, so Chan believes the team should be even more prepared for Game 3.
“Dalawang beses na nangyayari eh. Hopefully, ma-contain ulit namin yung zone nila if ever mangyari ulit sa Game 3,” he said.
As for getting his rhythm back, Chan shared he had been given the go-signal to take the big shots, and he did not fail to deliver.
“Kumpiyansa lang. Noong third quarter medyo masama shooting ko pero sabi ni coach, wag daw maghesitate. So nakita ko open konti, tira na,” Chan said, adding it would be a confidence-booster for him.
“Makakatulong. First game, wala akong nashoot. Kanina medyo hindi nakakashoot pero nung bandang huli na nakakatira na. So makakatulong.”
