Converge FiberXers big man Justin Arana is by all means a nice guy—a gentle giant if you will.
But on Wednesday against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, Arana showed he’s not one to be messed with. He got in the face of the highly physical Caelan Tiongson in the third quarter and even gave the rookie an elbow to the sternum.
He also gave Rain or Shine 22 points and 8 rebounds to help Converge win Game 1 of their best-of-three quarterfinals showdown held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. All this after Arana missed several games due to a hyperextended knee.
Arana Serves Notice: He Won’t Be Pushed Around
Postgame, the 6-foot-7 big admitted to getting extra motivation from Tiongson’s rough play—a hallmark of the 6-foot-6 rookie even in his days at the Asean Basketball League.
“Mas nakaka-motivate talaga ‘yun. Gusto mo ipakita sino ka, kung anong kaya mo sa loob ng court,” Arana admitted to reporters. “Tiongson is a competitor, pero hindi naman ako pwede magpa-bully lang. Syempre kung kaya kong pumalag, papalag naman talaga ko.”
Indeed, Arana didn’t let Tiongson bully him around. And he proved a point by giving Rain or Shine one of his best games yet this conference—along with some sweet nothings to the feisty Fil-Am. Tiongson, though, proved to be game himself, firing a team-high 23 for the Elasto Painters.
Arana and Tiongson will go at it again on Friday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium with Converge looking to finish off Rain or Shine and make it to the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semis.
Best believe Tiongson and the rest of the Elasto Painters will challenge Arana once more.
Expect the gentle giant of Converge to be ready.
