Rain or Shine almost coughed up a big lead against San Miguel, yes, but head coach Yeng Guiao is choosing to keep the glass half full.
The decorated bench tactician sees it as another sign of progress for the entire Elasto Painters. They managed to weather the storm and escape with a narrow win to remain unbeaten in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup.
“Ito ‘yung progress na sinasabi ko,” he said shortly after their 116-112 victory at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, Wednesday night.
“You progress in your maturity, you progress in your character, how to fight against adversity.”
By scalping the mighty Beermen, Rain or Shine has notched its fifth win in as many games in the conference. And this is already its best start in franchise history, according to league stats czar Fidel Mangonon III.
More than the record, though, Guiao is prouder of how they’ve put these wins together, particularly in games with the odds stacked against them.
After downing guest team Macau in their debut, the Elasto Painters had to make do without import Jaylen Johnson in about five-and-a-half quarters as they faced TNT, then he had to serve a one-game ban versus Meralco.
Still, they found ways to overcome that predicament, and in impressive fashion, too. They cut Bol Bol down to size to take down the Tropang 5G, and then showed that they can get the job done even with an all-Filipino crew versus the Bolts.
When ‘JJ’ finally returned to action, the tight-knit unit gave him the warmest of welcomes. They dealt Blackwater a beatdown of historic proportions — a humiliating 151-95 crushing to reset the highest winning margin in PBA history.
Then came their great escape against SMB, in which they nearly squandered a 25-point cushion, no thanks to a Marcio Lassiter-led rally by the opposition. However, they prevented disaster thanks to Johnson and Adrian Nocum.
Just five games into the midseason conference, yet Guiao and the whole team feel as if they have already gone through everything imaginable.
“Lahat ng mahirap dinaanan na namin,” he said. “Lumaban kami nang walang import na kalaban si Bol Bol. Lumaban kami nang walang import for the whole game, kalaban Meralco. Nag-lead kami ng 25 points, tapos naubos.
“Pero, naipanalo pa rin,” added the seven-time champion mentor, whose charges remained sitting at no. 1 in the standings following the win.
But don’t think that they’re complaining. Rain or Shine wouldn’t trade it for anything, since the team knows that it will only make them better.
“Mabuti ‘yung team nagdadaan sa ganun kasi it really strengthens you, and tests your character. Good sign pa rin ‘to para sa amin,” Guiao said.
