Elasto Painters try to close out Aces for third time
Though now on shaky ground, Rain or Shine is still very much hopeful to reign and shine in the end.
Even as they’re now facing a searing fightback by the Alaska Milk Aces, the Elasto Painters are positive they can play with a great resolve to weather the Alaska storm and salvage the championship series that’s slipping from their hands.
The E-Painters vow to come out with a now-or-never attitude in a bid to bag the PBA Commissioner’s Cup crown in Game Six Wednesday at the Big Dome.
“The window is getting smaller for us. If we let the momentum build up and take this to a Game Seven, then definitely their confidence is going to be sky high and their momentum is going to be a lot stronger,” said ROS coach Yeng Guiao in their need to win it in Game Six.
Alaska Milk, meanwhile, vow to just fight and press on in its hope to write an epic redemption tale.
The immediate task at hand is to force a deciding Game Seven, with the Aces riding the momentum of stirring wins in Games Four (111-99) and Five (86-78).
There’s also the posible return of Ping Exciminiano in coach Alex Compton’s rotation.
But the E-Painters still exude confidence and optimism from where they stand now.
“I’m still very positive we will win this championship. I will not dare make anymore predictions, except that in the end, we will win this one,” said Guiao.
“They are still in a bad place, and we are still in a good place. We still have two chances to win this championship, and they still have to beat us twice,” Guiao pointed out. “We have to beat them just once. I’m looking at it from a positive perspective.”
Guiao, however, insists that they have to win it now.
Looking at the numbers, Guiao said they have to make necessary adjustments to stem the tide back in their favor.
“We’re not playing smart enough. We’re giving up too many free throws. (In Game Five), we gave up 27; the last game we gave up 40-plus. There’s just too many free throws we’re giving away,” rued Guiao.
The Aces had nine more free throws than the E-Painters in Game Four and 16 more in Game Five.
“The discrepancy was big in the games that we lost. So it’s about controlling our foul situation and in summary just playing smarter. We have to be smart in order to win the championship,” said Guiao.
Then, there’s the big decline in their three-point shooting and fastbreak points.
Rain or Shine impressed with averages of 13.3 three-pointers and 14.3 fastbreak points in the first three games. In Games Four and Five, the E-Painters were down to 7.5 treys and 3.5 fastbreak points per game.
No wonder, Alaska held Rain or Shine below 100 points in the last two games. In the first three games, the E-Painters averaged 107.3 points per game.
The Aces aren’t expected to slow down on their pressing game in Game Six. (SB)
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