Head coach Yeng Guiao considers Rain or Shine as the obvious underdogs facing surging Converge but remains upbeat about his team’s chances of pulling off an upset in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup best-of-three quarterfinals.
After a great start including a five-game win streak, it took the Elasto Painters some time to secure their seat in the playoffs, narrowly escaping falling to a precarious sudden death situation for the No. 8 spot.
Guiao breathed a sigh of relief after checking a two-game slide with a 106-96 victory over eventual second seed and twice-to-beat TNT, 106-96, on the last game of the elimination round last Friday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
Landing as the sixth seed, Rain or Shine has set a playoffs date with the No. 3-ranked FiberXers.
Guiao and his wards brace for an uphill climb against a team boasting with young talents led by top overall pick in the last Draft Justine Baltazar, all-around wing Jordan Heading and a workhorse reinforcement in Cheick Diallo.
“Converge suddenly turned into a strong team with the addition of Balti and Heading. Then they have an import that fits perfectly to their game,” Guiao said.
The fiery mentor also thought Converge was good enough to finish at the top two spots if not for the breaks of the game that didn’t went its way in its final elims game.
The FiberXers absorbed a sorry 113-116 loss to dethroned San Miguel Beer, sliding down to an 8-4 card tied with the Tropang Giga. TNT took the second seed by virtue of a better quotient.
“I think Converge could’ve easily made first or second also if not for the breaks they could’ve overtaken San Miguel if I’m not mistaken. They have the means to end up at (No.) 1 or 2 but ended up at third,” Guiao said.
It is why the tactician sees Converge as having a slight edge in their rematch.
In fact, the FiberXers dominated the Elasto Painters in their first meeting in the import-laden conference before allowing Rain or Shine to make the scoreline a little decent, 103-96, last 14 January.
“It feels like we’re still going up against the No. 1 and 2. Good thing, at least it’s a best-of-three. We’re not at a disadvantage. But I think we have until Wednesday to find a way to beat Converge,” Guiao said.
“In our last game against them, they blew us out. So psychologically, I think they have an advantage over us, but we’ll try to find a way to overcome that,” he added.