ANTIPOLO — It’s only been five days since they parted ways, but Rain or Shine and Gian Mamuyac will come face to face at the Ynares Center here later.
This early, the reunion of sorts will be taking place when the Elasto Painters shoot for their first win of the Season 50 Governors’ Cup against a surging Phoenix Super LPG in a meeting between Group A teams set at 7:30 p.m.
It’s going to be a battle between a squad hoping to break through and the other trying to extend their winning streak to four, but there should be no denying that the biggest storyline is the meeting between ‘Mamu’ and his former team.
According to Casino Plus sportsbook, Mamuyac and the Fuel Masters are a -3.5 favorite over his former team while the over/under is set at 218.0.
Bets can be placed here: https://www.casinoplus.com.ph/home/inGame?name=Basketball&title=SportBet.
In a shocker of a deal pulled off last Thursday, RoS traded its erstwhile captain for a future first-round pick after the two camps couldn’t agree on a new deal.
It’s quite evident that it has sucked the life out of Rain or Shine, especially when the youth-laden unit fell short versus Antonio Hester and Meralco last Saturday in this venue, 122-114, and absorbed its second loss in as many outings.
“We try to avoid talking too much about it kasi nagiging distraction siya,” admitted head coach Yeng Guiao, who has also been trying to make his charges regain their focus in the aftermath of the trade,
“Even sa dugout, we try not to discuss ‘yung nakaraan or ‘yung sitwasyon kay Mamu. Gusto naming maging masaya siya roon, at maging masaya kami sa nilalaro namin,” the champion bench strategist continued.
Mamuyac, for his part, did admit that it’s challenging to step out of his comfort zone, but is choosing to start afresh with the Fuel Masters, who gave him a warm welcome by way of an 81-78 win over Ginebra last Sunday to go 3-0.
There, the former No. 5 overall pick by RoS finished with six points, one rebound, three assists, and a block in 18 minutes off the bench.
But whatever nostalgia is out there shall be thrown out the window in 48 minutes, given their respective motivations to emerge triumphant.
“I expect them to go hard. Ganun naman talaga sa Rain or Shine, mga bata ni Coach Yeng. I expect nothing less. Siyempre, competitors kami. Pagdating sa court, once the ball goes up, wala munang kaibigan,” Mamuyac said.
Opening the twinbill affair at 5:15 p.m. are Blackwater and the Bolts, with the latter hoping to stretch its unbeaten run thus far to three games.
The Bossing of Coach Pat Aquino are currently second in Group A, having picked up victories versus Rain or Shine in their conference debut and, just recently, Magnolia—an 89-81 come-from-behind for back-to-back wins.
Despite their record, Blackwater is a -4.0 underdog against Meralco, according to Casino Plus sportsbook. The over/under is pegged at 216.0.
