Fastbreak: Mixers survive Petron fightback

BACK TO ZERO. Cone and his wards evened the series. Photo by Rappler/Josh Albelda.

2013 PBA Governor's Cup Finals

Game 4

San Mig Coffee Mixers (88) - (86) Petron Blaze Boosters

The Best: The Mixers owe their lives to Mark Barroca in this one. The former FEU and Gilas Pilipinas standout stepped up to hit big shots in the 4th quarter to save the day for San Mig Coffee, which squandered a 28-point lead and survived a late rally by the Petron Blaze Boosters. In all, Barroca drilled in 12 points, including some big buckets in the waning minutes of the match. He shot just 2/10 from the field overall, but he made the baskets when they counted the most. At this stage, that's what really matters anyway.

The Worst: When the Boosters shoot well from long range, they are dominant. That didn't happen in this game. Petron went 4/22 from beyond the arc, with Marcio Lassiter making 3 of those 4 triples. The rest of the team? 1/15 from deep. Oh, and as good as June Mar Fajardo was in this game -- 20 points and 26 rebounds -- he shot just 2/8 from the line. It stands to reason that had the Kraken shot better from the stripe (the rest of the team went 12/14), the Boosters would probably be enjoying a 3-1 series lead at this moment.

Balance: Coach Tim Cone enjoyed great production from almost everyone he sent in to play. He used a tight 8-man rotation in this game, with 6 of those 8 scoring 11 points or more. Only Alex Mallari and Rafi Reavis didn't break into the double-digit barrier here, while Marqus Blakely, Marc Pingris, Mark Barroca, and PJ Simon each putting up AT LEAST a dozen markers and five boards. That's the kind of all-around production San Mig Coffee will need if they want to win any more games in this titular series. - Rappler.com