Yeng Guiao couldn’t feel prouder to see his wards defy expectations yet again by bringing Rain or Shine to the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup semifinals–and throwing themselves in the mix along with the big-market teams.
Although it’s already their fourth straight trip to the Final Four, the champion mentor continues to be in awe at the way they’ve been proving themselves to be one of the league’s few individual teams on a crusade.
“I’m really proud of these guys because TNT is there, San Miguel is there, Ginebra is there, and then Rain or Shine is there,” he said.
“Sino ba kami, ‘di ba?”
Since Guiao’s homecoming to the franchise back in 2022, Rain or Shine has risen back as a formidable contender, as evidenced by their successive semis appearances, which began during the Season 48 edition of the All-Filipino tilt.
Fast forward to now, and the Elasto Painters are back on the same stage — this time, arguably sweeter given what they had to overcome as a whole.
The crew finished at no.7 after the eliminations and found themselves paired up against the no. 2 NLEX, which was armed with a twice-to-beat edge — a tough predicament since one loss would mean the end of their season.
Yet they showed how much experience could spell the difference, beating the Road Warriors twice in a row. They also became the 19th team to advance despite a twice-to-win disadvantage, out of 152 twice-to-beat pairings in the playoffs.
Despite that feat, Guiao still considers themselves as ‘gatecrashers’ to a party where the conglomerates have been in almost every conference.
“Parang gatecrasher lang kami rito eh,” he said. “Ang daming mas malaking mga kumpanya na mas maraming resources. Pero kami, nakarating dito.”
And while they’re at it, they might as well help themselves and enjoy the party, too, said Guiao, who’s still aiming for his eighth league title.
(C) PBA Images
“Pinabili lang kami ng suka, nakarating kami rito e. Pintura kasama na,” quipped the 66-year-old.
“Gatecrasher kami. Nagpa-party sila, pinapasok kami sa gate eh. Eh di magpa-party na rin kami, ‘di ba? Ganun lang ‘yun.”
Guiao, though, remains fully aware of the challenge ahead, as Rain or Shine is about to face TNT once more in the best-of-7 semis beginning Wednesday.
It’s their third straight meeting in the penultimate phase, and fourth consecutive, including the Season 48 Philippine Cup quarterfinals. There, they beat the Tropang 5G to advance and forge a duel with eventual runners-up San Miguel.
While some could opine that it’s going to be easier for them this time around with no Rondae Hollis-Jefferson around — plus the string of injuries that have occured within their foes’ camp — Guiao refuses to think of it that way.
Because he sees another tough series ahead in taking on a team that not only has depth talent-wise, but is out to compete with a purpose as well.
“Mahirap ‘yung kalaban mo na merong pinupuntirya talaga na gusto nilang gawin,” he said of the Grand Slam seekers. “Pero meron din kaming purpose. So tingnan natin kung sinong makaka-achieve nung kanilang goal.
“Pero siguro sa dami ng beses na nakalaban namin sila, we’ll be a little bit more comfortable this time. Siguro medyo alam na rin namin kung ano ‘yung mas makakaganda sa gameplan namin. Pero iba talaga ‘yung talent nila.”
Nonetheless, Guiao vowed that his Elasto Painters will simply try their hardest as they once again cross paths with their budding rivals.
“‘Yun naman ang ano namin eh, parang motto namin. Just show up, be there. One of these days, maybe you’ll get to the next level,” he said.
“So, andito lang kami. Basta susubukan lang namin kung ano ‘yung kaya namin. TNT, champion team, going for a Grand Slam, but andyan kami. Lalabanan namin sila. Tingnan natin kung hanggang saan ‘yung aabutin namin. ‘Yun nga, ‘yung sinasabi ko, bigay niyo lang lahat, todo niyo lang lahat every game.
“We run our style of play, we run our system, put 100 percent effort into it, bahala na kung ano yung resulta,” he added.
“Ganun lang kami.”
#WATCH: Coach Yeng Guiao and Santi Santillan react to their #PBA2025 quarterfinals upset over NLEX and talk about another semis showdown vs TNT 🏀
🎥 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/Rmur4Y3kud
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) June 22, 2025
