After raising the curtains of their 2018 Philippine Cup campaign with a grind-out victory over powerhouse TNT Katropa last December 22, things have gone downhill for the veteran-laden Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.
On Friday night, the Elasto Painters failed their second straight assignment, after losing steam against Stanley Pringle and the GlobalPort Batang Pier, 78-70, in a clash of depleted squads at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
And head coach Caloy Garcia was inevitably disappointed.
“Well we’re not performing the way we like,” rued Garcia.
What irked Garcia in this particular loss to the Terrence Romeo-less Batang Pier was the way the E-Painters performed offensively, as they made just 25 of their 86 shots from the field — 10-of-48 of it coming from beyond the arc.
“Our offense was really off,” lamented the 16-year veteran bench strategist. “We took 48 attempts from three. Pero sabi ko sa players, I’d accept those shots as long as they’re open. But, we have to make those shots.”
Had his players shot better, Garcia added, the match could’ve yielded a different result. RoS had a chance, especially in the final frame, where they threatened their counterparts after coming within just a point, 61-62.
“We couldn’t hit our open shots. We’re just down by (one) — we had two or three attempts that could’ve tied or taken the lead pero minalas pa rin,” said the tactician.
“Defensively we did okay… Problema talaga namin offense.”
It also didn’t help that Rain or Shine went into Friday’s bout still with an incomplete lineup due to injuries. Against GlobalPort, the Elasto Painters missed the services of veteran guard Chris Tiu due to knee soreness.
“It was a challenge. Wala na nga ibang players natin,” said the former PBA D-League coach. “[But] I don’t want to use the injuries as an excuse. it’s more of… I’m hoping the team right now can wake up and realize that they can play.”
But then, damage had already been done. The only thing that they can do now, said Garcia, is to move on from it and shift their sights onto their next match, which will be against the Phoenix Fuel Masters on January 17, Wednesday.
“It’s alarming,” he said.
“Pero tapos na, wala na kaming magagawa. We just have to look forward to the next game.”
