Ginebra's Jeff Chan puts up a shot against Rain or Shine. Richard Esguerra, ABS-CBN Sports

MANILA, Philippines – For eight seasons, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters were the beneficiary of Jeff Chan’s impressive shooting ability. 

On Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum, they felt how it was like to be on the other side.

Chan played for Rain or Shine from 2009 to 2017, stints highlighted by two championships. He was traded to Phoenix last year, before the Fuel Masters eventually sent him to Barangay Ginebra last month – just in time to join the Gin Kings’ playoff push.

It took Chan a while, but he soon became comfortable with his new team. On Sunday, he put on a vintage performance – and the Elasto Painters had a front-row seat to the show.

Chan scored 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting, making three of his five three-pointers. Ten of those points came in the final quarter, when the Gin Kings finally put the E-Painters away for a 102-89 triumph in Game 1 of their semifinal series in the 2018 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

READ: Gin Kings destroy No. 1 ROS to start semis

“Masasabi ko lang na medyo kumportable na ako, medyo nakukuha ko na pero not fully,” Chan said after the game. “The other day, nag-usap naman kami ni coach Tim (Cone) regarding sa role ko, so medyo nabigyan ng ilaw.”

In his previous five games for Ginebra, Chan had scored a combined 28 points, and made just only one of 13 three-pointers. Facing against his former team, however, the veteran recovered his shooting touch.

But Chan downplayed his superb performance against one of his former squads, saying: “Basta ako, masaya ako with my new team now. Masaya ako na I’m with Barangay Ginebra.”

“Masasabi ko lang, 'yung team na 'yun, 'yung Rain or Shine, I love that team. Maraming nangyari dun pero siyempre kailangan mag-move on. Kung saan ako present now, which is Ginebra, may goal kami dito,” he added.

For Cone, it was clear that Chan was the difference-maker for the Gin Kings on Sunday night. The Elasto Painters managed to trim what was once an 18-point lead to just five, 79-74, with still 10:42 to play when Chan’s craftiness got him a trip to the line.

The guard calmly knocked down the free throws – which sparked a stunning 23-4 scoring run for Ginebra. Chan added a three-pointer, a transition lay-up, and an assist to Justin Brownlee during the rally. When it was over, the Gin Kings had an unassailable 102-78 lead with three minutes to go.

"As you can see, Jeff is a really great weapon when he's got good players around him,” Cone pointed out. “When he's got really good players around him who can create openings for him, he is really dynamic, and Jeff showed that to us tonight.”

“I think so far, in that game, he was the difference between our offense with him and our offense without him in the past. Makes us a tougher team,” he added.

Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia, for his part, had no ill feelings about Chan’s explosive performance. Indeed, he was unsurprised to see his former player come up with a big game when the Gin Kings needed it – having seen it happen multiple times when Chan was still an Elasto Painter.

“Jeff is really a great player ever since. Coming from Phoenix, then he adjusted, it probably took him three or four games to adjust. But we know how dangerous really Jeff is,” said Garcia.

“It's also nice to see a former Rain or Shine player play well, but huwag sana sa amin,” he added. “Pero you know, kudos to them.”

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