Save for its record-setting blowout win, Rain or Shine’s unbeaten run in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup didn’t come easy.
The Elasto Painters had to sweat it out against an unfamiliar foe, went through a 7-foot-3 giant, played without an import and survived a fourth-quarter meltdown.
For head coach Yeng Guiao, going through those adversities made their winning run sweeter and even more fulfilling.
Fielding a team with the right mix of veterans and young guns joined by a do-it-all import in Jaylen Johnson, Guiao likes how the squad has been showing its maturity.
“This is the progress I’m talking about. You progress in your maturity. You progress in your character. On how you fight against adversity,” he said following the Elasto Painters’ 116-112 escape over San Miguel Beer on Wednesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Rain or Shine remains the only unbeaten squad in the field after winning over the guest team Macau Black Knights, getting past towering Bol Bol and the defending champion TNT, surviving Meralco with an all-Filipino lineup with Johnson suspended and prevailing over the Beermen despite squandering a 25-point third quarter lead.
“We’ve been through all the hard times. We fought against Bol Bol. We fought against Meralco without an import. We led by 25 points, squandered it but we still won,” the fiery mentor added.
“It’s good for the team to go through that. It really strengthens you and tests your character. So, it’s still a good sign for us,” he added.
Rain or Shine’s latest test of composure came in a game following its 151-95 blowout of Blackwater last 31 March.
The Elasto Painters buried the Beermen to a 92-67 hole with two and a half minutes left in the third quarter.
But it wasn’t a safe enough cushion as San Miguel unleashed a 24-4 run to start the final canto that made the game more interesting. Protecting a 99-97 advantage, Rain or Shine brought order back by answering with six straight points and keeping its distance the rest of the way.
“Nakaraos. I think it was our pace. We were able to build our lead. If we didn’t build our lead, we would’ve lost the game,” Guiao said.
Amid the chaos of the San Miguel uprising, Guiao restrained himself from calling a timeout and allowed his players to figure out a way to stop the bleeding — a sign of his utmost trust to his team.
“I was just trusting the guys. As I said, it’s like you’re testing their ability to self-organize, testing their ability to read situations. You really need to gamble, (5:57) instead of spoon-feeding everything,” he said.
“I did call a timeout when our lead went down from 17 to 10 but in the end, I let them figure things out.”
Rain or Shine has no time to enjoy its last conquest as it focuses on its game against Converge today at the Mall of Asia Arena, aiming for win No. 6.