A handful of key factors led to Rain or Shine’s 105-92 setback at the hands of San Miguel in Game 4, and head coach Yeng Guiao mentioned officiating has gotten a lot worse.
“We also did not like the break from the referees. I thought the foul on Paul (Lee) when he was fouled out, and I guess there are (at least) two fouls that should have not been called in this game,” Guiao shared Monday night. “It is just so disappointing. Beau Belga was pushed but he was the one called for a foul. I don’t understand that. We cannot play physical but they canplay physical on us.”
The mentor called for consistency on the way the game is getting called, saying it should be the same standard on both ends of the floor.
“I recommend consistency with the calls. Kung babanggain ni June Mar yung mas maliit naming player, mas malaki impact noon sa laro. Kung kami babangga sa kanya, hindi niya mararamdaman eh, pero kami ang madalas tawagan,” he said.
“We really did not have a chance in this ball game. Wala kaming pag-asa talaga kung ganoon ang tawagan and it is getting worse. I was just hoping it could get better but apparently it did not.”
Missing pieces
Another factor which affected Rain or Shine’s performance in Game 4 was the absences of Raymond Almazan (sprain) and Jericho Cruz (hyperextended knee).
“We did run as much as wanted to. We kind of missed Jericho there. He is probably our best finisher. We also got out-rebounded terribly and we are missing Raymond in that department,” Guiao shared.
Rain or Shine was badly outrebounded, 59-37 and San Miguel also had a 16-6 lead in second chance points. But with the series still knotted at 2-2, Guiao looks ahead at a better performance the next time around.
“There are a lot of things that did not go our way but we will play better on Wednesday.”
He added Cruz will be evaluated in practice tomorrow. Cruz’s injury does not require surgery and will only need rest.
“It’s a best of three now. We will make the adjustments (again). They hit the early threes on us. If they are hitting the threes and they have an inside threat, it is very difficult to handle,” Guiao said. “It is still a good series. We still have a great chance in this series. We can beat them. But yun nga, if you don’t get the breaks, I don’t think any team could beat them.”
