Of course, no less than Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao was the first to give some good ol’ ribbing following Beau Belga’s historic game on Wednesday.
The veteran forward tallied the first triple-double of his career with 25 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists to star in the Elasto Painters’ 110-90 drubbing of Converge for their second win in a row in the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup.
“Ganun talaga ‘pag tumatanda ka, tumatalino ka,” said the champion mentor with a slight grin, drawing chuckles from his bruiser as they sat in the postgame presser in the Willie Caballes Press Hall of the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
But really, Guiao was proud of how his long-time enforcer has evolved his game into a more well-rounded player as evidenced by the rare feat.
“I think he’s rounded out his game pretty well. May opensa siya, meron siyang rebound,” he said of Belga, whom he’s known since their Burger King days.
(C) PBA Images
Belga has actually been playing commendably in their last three outings, including Wednesday’s. His solid stretch began against San Miguel, wherein he served as one of the few bright spots in the loss with an 18-7-6 stat line.
He then played a crucial role in getting their first win of the conference against Phoenix last March 17, two days after their Beermen game. There, he finished with a double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds.
Then came the match versus the listless FiberXers, wherein he became the first local player in Rain or Shine franchise history to register a triple-double.
Belga also became the oldest local player at 37 to record a triple-double since Ramon Fernandez in 1992 at 38, per league stats chief Fidel Mangonon III.
For the 16-year pro, it was all a by-product of him stepping up in the absence of Keith Datu, who’s out indefinitely due to an MCL injury, and with new acquisition Papot Paredes still learning the team’s scheme of things.
“Ang ano ko lang is I really need to step up kasi si Papot kakapasok lang sa amin, and he needs to gel with the group first. And then first thing kailangan niya pag-aralan ‘yung mga plays namin kahit na galing na siya kay Coach Yeng,” he said.
“Masyadong ano, kumbaga, maano ‘yung naiwang pwesto ni Keith. So, kailangan kong mag-double time, I need to step up a little bit more. Sa tulong ng mga kasama ko, mas nagiging madali.”
And so, there was no conscious effort whatsoever on his part in tallying a triple-double. “I’m not really aware of ‘yung mga triple-doubles, kasi may mga times naman ako na muntik-muntikan eh. Pero hindi ko ‘yun pinipilit,” he said.
“Kanina sinasabihan nila ako na one assist na lang, sabi ko I’ll try. Kung hindi, OK lang din naman,” added the two-time league champion.
All that really mattered to him was the win, which he said was something they really wanted to get in honor of the throwback jerseys they wore.
Made by ANTA, Rain or Shine was provided with retro threads paying homage to the old Welcoat Dragons team, which represented the Asian Coatings Inc. franchise in their first foray in the league in the 2006-07 season.
“Siyempre inaano lang sa amin ng mga boss namin kung paano nagsimula ‘yung team namin as a franchise dito sa PBA,” he said.
“‘Yun nga, ‘yung Welcoat Dragons. Sa amin, gusto namin manalo wearing this jersey. Talagang pinilit namin tonight to get the win,” added Belga.
