Rain or Shine, Alaska try to end title drought in first Finals meet

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Enough of the heartbreaks.

Alaska and Rain or Shine try to end their respective title droughts when they clash for the 2016 PBA Commissioner’s Cup championship in a best-of-seven series starting Friday.

Bridesmaids for the past three seasons, the Aces and the Elasto Painters will have another shot at taking home the trophy, albeit it will be at each other’s expense.

Rain or Shine’s bitter defeat to Ivan Johnson’s TNT in last year’s Commmissioner’s Cup finals will definitely fuel its title bid this year.

“Knowing coach Yeng (Guiao), he always reminds the players about the past,” said Rain or Shine deputy Caloy Garcia, who subbed for Guiao, on Thursday during the Finals press conference at PBA Cafe in Pasig.

“Last year, we lost by two points in double overtime against Talk ‘N Text. Sometimes, you can use it as motivation and a reminder. Every game is different. It happened in the NBA with the Spurs beating the Heat.”

The Aces, meanwhile, are taking a different approach in another trip to the finals.

“I don’t think so. We try to step in the challenge and try to learn from it,” said coach Alex Compton. “We try to take the lessons going forward. It’s hard to dwell on the past. We try to foster a competitive environment where we just value competition, and right now, I got to worry about Rain or Shine.”

Alaska will be making its fourth Finals appearance in five conferences in hopes of reclaiming the Commissioner’s Cup title it won back in 2013, while Rain or Shine is eyeing only its second franchise title in its fourth championship stint in the last three years.

Defense wins championships

Both coaches agree that the title will be decided not on offense, but on defense.

“We gotta make stops, we gotta make shots,” Compton said. “I honestly think Rain or Shine is playing best basketball in the league now. If we don’t bring our absolute best on defense, it’s going to be a tough series for is. They’re so good at what they do, the way they pace the floor, they attack, and we got to be ready to defend.”

Garcia, meanwhile, said that as much as the public sees Rain or Shine as a run-and-gun crew, the team’s offense is still fueled by its defensive schemes.

“With the style of coach Yeng, people don’t see us as a defensive team. But if you look at it, we like to run and we get it from our stops. We still think that defense is going to win us championship. Our offense will be there, but our defense will be more consistent,” he said.

No SMB, MVP

The championship duel also pits two independent teams in the finals—a first in 16 years that no San Miguel or MVP group teams made it to the final dance.

For PBA commissioner Chito Narvasa, the emergence of Alaska and Rain or Shine as the front runners is a testament of the team’s abilities and hardwork.

“They were the teams who were able to display their talents,” said Narvasa during the pre-finals press conference. “They deserve to be here.”

Game 1 is set on Friday at Smart Araneta Coliseum at 7 p.m.

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