Getting ready

After closing out the PBA Commissioner’s Cup eliminations with six straight wins, Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao will be spending the next few days trying to whip his Elasto Painters to their best possible shape for a mammoth task in the quarterfinals.“I think that we still have so much to improve in terms of the execution of our offense and defense,” Guiao said after Rain or Shine carved out a narrow 112-111 win over the lowly Converge FiberXers which also served as a warmup for its quarterfinal series against either Phoenix or San Miguel Beer—teams the Painters would need to beat two straight times to advance.

The Painters came into the contest assured of being the seventh seed and having the predicament of winning twice against the team that finishes No. 2 in the eliminations.

The team that will get that spot was being determined at presstime, and it could go to Phoenix if it prevails over TNT. San Miguel Beer can finish behind Magnolia if the Tropang Giga end up victorious against the Fuel Masters.

Rain or Shine lost to both teams in the eliminations, albeit under different circumstances.

DaJuan Summers, carrying NBA pedigree but failing to meet expectations, was still its import when Rain or Shine fell to the Fuel Masters, 99-98, last Nov. 18 in Antipolo City, while his replacement, Tree Treadwell, was still getting his feet wet when San Miguel spoiled his debut, 115-110, at Smart Araneta Coliseum 11 days later.Treadwell has turned out to be the import that suits Rain or Shine, which made the playoffs after recovering from a 0-5 start by closing out with six straight victories. He had another commendable all-around showing with 21 points, 17 rebounds and eight assists against the FiberXers.“You won’t rely on him to score 30 or 40 points a game, but what’s good about him is that he gives the locals the responsibility, which is very important going into the playoffs,” said Guiao.

Guiao admitted using Sunday’s game against a FiberXers side that ended the conference with an underwhelming 1-10 slate to finding the right balance of winning and giving all his players some confidence before the quarterfinals.

Veteran James Yap got some big minutes and responded by knocking down all of his three triple attempts for nine points. Jhonard Clarito was hardly used despite a solid showing during the streak while Beau Belga produced 19 points after scoring a bunch of baskets underneath in the third before sitting out most of the final canto.

But Rain or Shine had to hurdle a last gasp attempt by Converge to seal the win. Rookie King Caralipio, however, couldn’t knock down the go-ahead shot for Converge after JL delos Santos deflected Gabe Norwood’s inbound pass with five seconds left.“It’s a good thing that we had a game like this because this is how you’re going to feel in the playoffs. Sometimes you need to win in the endgame and you need to experience that kind of pressure,” said Guiao.

“If everyone’s been used, they’ll have the feel of the game going into the quarters,” he continued. “You need to be able to pull a rabbit out of your sleeve.”