Rain or Shine, Talk N’ Text clash for last semis berth

Despite advancing to the second phase of the 2016 Smart Bro PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals, coaches of both Rain or Shine and TNT were not happy with the performance of their respective teams in the playoffs.

“We gotta play a lot better defend a lot better on the 28th,” said Tropang Texters coach Jong Uichico, following TNT’s 90-88 escape of NLEX on Saturday.

Elasto Painters coach Yeng Guiao, meanwhile, noted, “If we play this way, we might not get to the next round,” after Rain or Shine’s 95-90 win over Blackwater the same day.

Both sides, though, can’t afford not to play at their best as they cross paths for the last remaining semifinals berth at 7 p.m at Mall of Asia Arena.

A semifinals date against San Miguel awaits the victor after GlobalPort on Sunday sealed a meeting with Alaska in the other bracket.

Guiao puts his premium on defense after a lackadaisical outing against the Elite last Saturday, allowing the surprise quarterfinal team to hang on behind the heroics of Carlo Lastimosa.

“We had a struggle shaking off Blackwater. I guess with the effort of one guy in Carlo Lastimosa, we’re lucky he didn’t get enough support from his teammates because we couldn’t stop him,” the fiery coach said. “We’re hoping we can prepare a little harder and have some serious talk with the guys. We get good leads and we lose those leads, then we lose momentum.”

TNT, meanwhile, had to fight back against a stubborn NLEX squad as Troy Rosario kept a struggling side afloat before Jayson Castro caught fire late in the game.

With the Road Warriors behind them, Uichico is challenging his wards to perform better against an experienced Rain or Shine side.

“(Rain or Shine) play hard because they’ve been there, syempre. Kami yung bago so I think we have to do better,” he said.

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