The last time Rain or Shine and Meralco crossed paths, it was back in March 26, where the E-Painters claimed a 96-79 victory.
But the times have obviously changed since then.
Gone are imports Alex McLean and Brian Butch, and the two squads have retooled their lineup with Wayne Chism and Darnell Jackson, respectively.
Most importantly, the stakes are higher this time around as the Bolts and the Elasto Painters kick off their best-of-three quarterfinal series in the 2014 PLDT Home TVolution PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Monday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
With both teams finishing at 5-4, the fourth-seed Rain or Shine will play the fifth-seed Meralco at 5:45 p.m.
“This is where we want to be,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao. “We had a slow start this conference and all we wanted to do is to be in the quarterfinals on an even matchup without any disadvantage.”
“(The Ginebra win) is also something that’s gonna give us confidence. A lot of people are giving up on our import, and the team and myself are the only ones who are still not giving up on him. And he showed what he can do in this game,” Guiao said as Chism led the E-Painters to a 105-101 overtime win over the Kings with a double-double of 30 points and 15 rebounds.
Fresh from their Sunday battle against Ginebra, the Elasto Painters have to muster enough energy to compete against a well-rested Meralco squad which played its final elimination game against San Mig Coffee last week.
“Meralco has been playing well. Although we beat them the first time we met them, it wasn’t an easy game for us,” Guiao said. “We’re a little tired playing today, but I guess it’s just the adrenaline which is going to pump us up and give us energy in tomorrow’s game.”
He added, “We anticipate another physical and hard game.”
Meralco’s import Darnell Jackson also shared this sentiment, but opted to focus on the bigger picture of the series.
“Our main focus is getting ready for the playoffs. I know it’s going to get harder, but the more we play, the more we get further in the playoffs,” he said. (RL)
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