It was one of those losses that Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao could wholly accept, given the positives he saw from his wards.
Hence, the smile that he flashed the moment he witnessed June Mar Fajardo beat the buzzer to lift San Miguel to a 113-112 victory last Thursday in easily one of the best games of the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup.
“Kahit natalo kami sa San Miguel, OK pa rin sa’min ‘yon. We think that it’s a loss where we can learn a lot from,” he said of that result that ended their unbeaten four-game win streak. “Kaya namin tanggapin ‘yung mga ganong talo.”
But aside from the learning experience, it’s the sign of growth he saw from his Elasto Painters from that game that makes the defeat easier to take.
He pointed out the maturity his young team displayed, most especially during the closing moments of that match-up where they clawed back from a 99-90 deficit approaching the game’s last five minutes.
Eventually, they took the 112-111 lead in the final seconds behind the four free throws of rookie Felix Lemetti. But then, Fajardo happened.
“Actually, I look at it as a good test for us,” Guiao said. “Kasi, a lot of the games are going to go down in the last three, four, five minutes. And you have to know how to handle those last five minutes. Sa San Miguel, ganun din e.
“Humabol lang kami, last three or four minutes. So to me, I look at it as a good sign. You’re able to catch up, and make a game out of it,” he added.
Guiao saw the same in their meeting versus Phoenix on Tuesday. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that his crew pulled away, beginning with a 12-0 run put together by Gian Mamuyac, Caelan Tiongson, and Andrei Caracut.
(C) PBA Images
“In this game naman, we were able to put some distance between us and them in the last three or four minutes,” said the 65-year-old.
“I think that’s a good sign of a team that’s maturing. They’re making the right decisions in the endgame, they’re executing, they’re making stops.”
The bounce-back win improved Rain or Shine’s record to 5-1 to keep its hold of the Group B lead.
However, as he’s said before – and even with the kind of progress his team has been showing – Guiao stays on an even keel.
“Parang gusto ko nang maniwalang contender kami, pero hindi pa ‘ko convinced masyado. Tingnan pa natin,” said the winner of seven PBA titles.
But maybe, he’d change his disposition if they manage to sweep Barangay Ginebra in their second-round encounter this Friday.
Still, he warned that they won’t be facing the same Kings team they beat in Candon last August 27.
“Parang gusto ko nang maniwalang contender kami, pero hindi pa ‘ko convinced masyado. Tingnan pa natin,” he said. “I’m sure they’ll be much more prepared. Kasi first game nila ‘yun. Nung kalaban kami, they came out of the offseason.”
“I know they were busy. Coach Tim Cone was busy with Gilas. The other players were recuperating from injuries. So the Ginebra we played in Candon is not the real Ginebra. Ito nga, gumaganda na ‘yung laro nila,” Guiao added.
“So on Friday, we will be playing a tougher team, a better conditioned team, and I’m sure ayaw nilang maulit ‘yung nangyari sa Candon. Pero kami, gusto namin maulit. Magandang laban ‘yan.”
