The Painters (in white) and the Gin Kings are locked in a very tight semifinal series. —MARLO G. CUETO
Coach Yeng Guiao stated some of the usual soundbites in a 2-2 series, which his Rain or Shine forged two nights earlier against Barangay Ginebra in their PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinal showdown.
“If you’re coming off a win, you have momentum, you have confidence,” Guiao said as his Elasto Painters gun for a 3-2 lead over the Gin Kings in Game 5 that is now penciled to be more intense considering how the Rain or Shine coach got locked in a verbal spot with Alfrancis Chua, the San Miguel Corporation sports director on Wednesday.
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“Now [the series is a virtual] best-of-three. So, if it’s a best of three, whoever wins Game 1, has more than a 50 percent chance of winning the series,” Guiao said. “So, I think the biggest (game a team needs to) win is going to be (the game) on Friday.”
Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum as the Elasto Painters and Gin Kings break their tie, like what Meralco and TNT will do in the Game 5 of their separate best-of-seven series set at 5:15 p.m.
Guiao’s focus will be on putting Rain or Shine in that situation of having a two-for-one shot at closing it out. He’d rather talk about that than the exchange he had with Chua, a long-time friend.
The two got into it when Guiao expressed frustration over the way Chua addresses officials to express his grievances, prompting the PBA vice chairman to fire back and urge the Rain or Shine mentor to stick to his role.
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Mind game
The psychological warfare will definitely spill into Game 5, especially with big things at stake for both sides.
Rain or Shine has not been this close to a Finals in its four previous semis trips in the past two seasons, while Ginebra is the last team standing among three San Miguel Corp. teams this late in the fight.
San Miguel teams have been to the Finals for 22 consecutive conferences or, interestingly enough, after the 2016 Commissioner’s Cup when Rain or Shine beat Alaska for the title.
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“I feel like that the longer the series goes, the better our chances are,” said Guiao. “But it’s only just that; a chance. So we are just looking for that chance.”
Guiao went deep to his rotation during Rain or Shine’s 97-85 win in Game 4, with Joshua David and Christian Manaytay stepping up to aid foul-troubled import Jaylen Johnson and Adrian Nocum.
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Meanwhile, Ginebra will look to get more production outside of Justin Brownlee, and even Scottie Thompson, with RJ Abarrientos hoping to atone for his eight-point showing in Game 5 on 3-of-8 shooting.
