By REYNALD MAGALLON
While Rain or Shine has been in the PBA semifinals stage in the past three conferences, no one has really expected the team to be a perennial contender for the Top 4 spots.
For them to be able to do that, they have to knock out at least one or two of the most well-funded teams in the league – squads that have long been considered as title contenders.
So it was only natural for head coach Yeng Guiao to be proud of what his team has managed to achieve in the last four conferences.
After all, all his team has is their fight and grit – something that was in full display when the Elasto Painters dispatched the twice-to-beat NLEX Road Warriors in the quarterfinals.
“I’m really proud of these guys because now, TNT is there, San Miguel is there, Ginebra is there, and then Rain or Shine is there. Sino ba kami? Parang gate crasher lang kami dito,” said Guiao after his team’s 103-92 victory over NLEX.
“Ang daming mas malaking mga kumpanya, mas maraming resources, pero kami, nakarating dito. Pinabili lang kami ng suka, nakarating kami dito. Pintura, kasama na,” said the fiery mentor in jest, generating laughs during the post-game press conference.
But that is not to say that Rain or Shine is not taking the chance seriously. It was the other way around, in fact. The Elasto Painters, who have not reached the finals in the last nine years, aim to contend and seize the opportunity.
“Gate crasher kami, nagpa-party sila, pinapasok nila kami sa gate. Eh di magpa-party na rin kami diba? Ganun lang ‘yun.” he added.
Unfortunately for the only remaining independent team in the Final Four, it will be facing up against the Grand Slam-seeking TNT, which just like ROS, also overcame a twice-to-win disadvantage in the quarterfinals.
Interestingly, it will be the third-straight semifinals duel between ROS and TNT with the outcome favoring the Tropang 5G in their last two meetings. On both occasions, the eventual champion TNT came out with a 4-1 series win.
“Ang motto namin just show up be there. One of these days maybe you get to the next level,” said Guiao.
“Nandito lang kami. Basta susubukan lang namin kung ano kaya namin. TNT, champion team, going for a grand slam. But nandiyan kami, lalabanan namin sila, tignan natin kung hanggang saan ‘yung aabutin namin,” he said.
