Even before coming in to their game against the Phoenix Fuel Masters on Friday, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters were already assured of a quarterfinals slot. Meaning, they could afford to lose to Phoenix and still be in the playoffs.
Yeng Guiao didn’t want that. He wanted Rain or Shine to enter the quarterfinals on a winning note. And his Elasto Painters delivered exactly that, blowing out the Fuel Masters, 133-103, in the penultimate game of the PBA Governors’ Cup elimination round on Friday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
“Before ‘yung laro, ang bilin ko lang sa mga players sa team namin, mas maganda kung mananalo tayo. Pasok tayo ng quarterfinals ng playoffs on a winning note,” Guiao said postgame. “That would be a good starting point for us. Tapos building habits lang.”
A 30-point drubbing of a young, emerging team is certainly a good starting point for Rain or Shine, who will next face another young, emerging team in the Converge FiberXers in a best-of-five quarterfinals clash.
The Playoffs Start Now for Rain or Shine
For Guiao, he simply wanted his Elasto Painters to enter playoff mode a game earlier. And after a tight opening frame, Rain or Shine seemingly flipped the switch, dropping 83 big points on Phoenix in the middle quarters to put the game out of reach.
“Gusto namin ‘yung mentality namin pang-playoff mentality na,” Guiao emphasized. “’Yung effort namin, playoff effort na. So pinu-push ko talaga ‘yung mga bata na isipin nila parang playoff na ito. Parang mental and physical preparation na rin namin para sa playoff.”
Everyone got the message, it seems. Eight Elasto Painters scored at least 10, led by Jhonard Clarito’s and Aaron Fuller’s 18. Adrian Nocum added 17, Mike Malonzo and Santi Santillan chipped in 13 apiece, Felix Lemetti contributed 11, and Caelan Tiongson and Luis Villegas put up 10 each.
It was a complete effort from Rain or Shine, to say the least. And they certainly looked ready for the playoffs—especially in the middle quarters.
Now, they get ready for the real deal on Tuesday, October 27.
