WARY E-PAINTERS TO GO ALL OUT FOR PLACE IN SEMIS
Coach Yeng Guiao has been a front-row witness to several escape acts by Barangay Ginebra in the past that he won’t count the Kings out until they are really out.
The whole Rain or Shine team knows what Ginebra is capable of that the Elasto Painters are coming out with a lot of caution in the second game of their PBA Philippine Cup best-of-three quarterfinal showdown at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Friday.
“Game One is over, no more celebration over it,” said Guiao.
“We focus on Game Two like nothing happened. We should be running scared all the time. We don’t change anything in our game plan. We are just out to maintain our aggressiveness and sustain our energy level,” Guiao also said.
The Elasto Painters go for the clincher while the Kings try to force a rubber match as they clash in Game Two at 7:30 p.m.
Rain or Shine’s emphatic 82-65 triumph in the series opener Wednesday won’t give the E-Painters any sense of security as twice they were inflicted with a stinging defeat by the Kings during the elims.
The Kings came from behind in those two occasions, the second time from the depth of a 17-point deficit.
Thoughts of those victories could well give the Kings some comfort as they again try to defy the odds, needing to beat the E-Painters two in a row to make the Final Four.
The question is how to match the Elasto Painters’ youthful zest and energy.
The horror of losing a 17-point bulge to the Kings the last time in their mind, the Elasto Painters played no-nonsense basketball throughout and rewarded them with a lopsided win that sent them to the threshold of the semifinals.
Paul Lee and Chris Tiu, players who were not there when Rain or Shine was twice stunned by Ginebra, came through with valuable contributions as the Elasto Painters lived up to their billing as the playoffs third seeds, pushing the Kings to the brink.
“We played the defense that we wanted. Everybody was active. Everybody did their job. Rebounding-wise, everybody did their share,” said Guiao, particularly lauding his boys for their solid effort on the defensive end.
The Elasto Painters had all Ginebra players in check, including backcourt aces Mark Caguioa and LA Tenorio who were held to just 22 points together.
Rain or Shine held the whole Ginebra team to no more than 15 points in each of the four quarters, making the biggest damage in the middle quarters as the E-Painters took the half at 39-29 and broke away for good in the third period.
Playing his second game in the season, Lee helped the team in their decisive surge in the second and third quarters, finishing with 11 points and four rebounds.
Chris Tiu, another young RoS player who has just returned from an injury, had his share in their big win.
“We prepared well for this game. And leading by 10 at the half, coach Yeng told us ‘no let up.’ We made sure there’s no repeat of our loss the last time where we bungled a 17-point lead,” said Lee.
“Hopefully, we can keep playing good defense in Game Two. We play good ‘D’ and our offense follows,” Lee also said. (SB)
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
