The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters are still atop the PBA Commissioner’s Cup standings thanks to their 91-82 victory over the Magnolia Hotshots on Saturday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
But the victory—Rain or Shine’s eighth in the conference—is what’s known in hoops parlance as an ugly win. That’s because the Elasto Painters shot a ghastly 38.1% from the field while going 7-for-32 from downtown. They also trailed by as much as 12 and were even behind, 70-66, after Magnolia began the fourth with an 8-0 spurt.
Yet Rain or Shine persevered. The Elasto Painters—Gian Mamuyac, most especially—found a way to win. And for Yeng Guiao, that matters. A lot.
“This is a tough win for us. We had to tough it out to win this game. So we like those kinds of wins. Those are tests of character,” he told reporters after Rain or Shine’s win. “Magandang panalo ito para sa amin. Tsaka nalapit kami ito sa nine wins na kailangan namin.”
Rain or Shine Disaster Averted?
Tellingly, Guiao thought Rain or Shine’s stunning loss to the Phoenix Fuel Masters had as much to do with the Elasto Painters putting their foot off the gas pedal as it did with the Fuel Masters playing superbly.
“My feeling was we were kind of relaxing with our record. Naka 7-0 kami. Tapos natalo kami. Iniisip ko baka magtuloy-tuloy kung hindi namin ma-stop ‘yung downward spiral namin. So, it’s a good win,” Guiao noted.
Moreover, the fiery tactician views Rain or Shine’s eighth victory as very satisfying because his team overcame adversity and figured out a way even if the shots weren’t falling.
“’Yun ang masarap na panalo. ‘Yung nag-struggle ka, not an easy win. You just try to find ways to compensate for your… mga disadvantages…” Guiao added.
For Guiao, this test-of-character win proves one thing: the Elasto Painters are ready for grind-it-out games—the kind of games they can expect come playoff time.
“These guys a couple of conferences ago would not have won a game like that,” Guiao pointed out. “Pero ngayon, alam na nilang paano ipanalo ‘yung ganong klaseng laro.”
Coach Yeng’s conjecture will be tested soon enough. Up next for Rain or Shine are the NLEX Road Warriors and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.
