Caguioa, Helterbrand tow Kings past Painters

Mark Caguioa and JayJay Helterbrand relived their old glory days with Barangay Ginebra as the combined efforts of the league's so-called 'Fast and Furious' resulted in another big win for the PBA's most popular ballclub. With Caguioa and Helterbrand leading Ginebra's charge down the stretch, the Kings survived Rain or Shine's furious rally in the payoff period for a 98-90 win Wednesday night at the end of the Governors Cup elimination phase at the Araneta Coliseum. Caguioa and Helterbrand, the backbone of several Ginebra championships in the past, scored the Kings' final four points that clinched the hard-earned victory after the Elasto Painters threatened for the last time at 94-90 in the final 66 seconds. Rain or Shine trailed by as many as 43-30 at the 4:51 mark of the second quarter. Donald Sloan paced the Kings' scoring with 32 points, while Caguioa and Eric Menk had 13 each. Helterbrand only had four, but was part of Ginebra's starting unit for the first time in a long while since a knee injury slowed him down two seasons ago. KG Canaleta, acquired in a trade with two-time MVP Willie Miller last Monday, was held scoreless in his Ginebra debut. The Kings go into the carryover semifinals, which begins Friday also at the Big Dome, tied with Alaska and Petron from second to fourth fourth places with similar 5-3 cards. "We like where we're at," said coach Jong Uichico after the win. Rain or Shine fell to 4-4 overall in a tie with B-MEG, but is entering the next round fresh from back-to-back losses against Alaska and the Kings. Arizona Reid had 29 points for Rain or Shine, which also got 20 from Ronjay Buenafe and 12 from Jeff Chan. Chan's back-to-back three-pointers, with 8:45 to go, pushed the Elasto Painters within 75-72, setting the stage for the game's thrilling finale. - JVP, GMA News