Rain or Shine targets win No. 8 against Phoenix in PBA Commissioner’s Cup
Games on Tuesday
(Ninoy Aquino Stadium)
5:15 p.m. – Macau vs Titan
7:30 p.m. – Rain or Shine vs Phoenix
AT 7-0, Rain or Shine (ROS) is off to its strongest start in franchise history, a ticket to the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup playoffs safely in its hands.
But bet on it, the rampaging ROS Elasto Painters have no intention of slowing down.
Not with bigger objectives still to be ticked off.
“Seven wins assure you of a quarters spot and to get a twice-to-beat (advantage for the Top 4 teams), we need nine wins,” said coach Yeng Guiao.
The undefeated E-Painters seek to move one step closer to that target number with a potential win No. 8 on Tuesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium against a sixth-running Phoenix side (4-3) intent on staying within range of the Magic 4.
Gametime is at 7:30 p.m. following the 5:15 p.m. curtain raiser between Titan Ultra (2-5) and guest team Macau (0-7).
For Mr. Guiao, it’s vital for his charges to play with consistency.
Mr. Guiao downplayed ROS’ 23 three-point and four-point conversions in the 124-117 verdict over Terrafirma that tied the league standard for most makes from beyond the arc in a game.
“We just try to play our game, be consistent with our style of play,” he reiterated.
In saying that, Mr. Guiao didn’t just mean their high-octane offense but also their “underrated” defensive game.
“A lot of people really don’t notice the way we play defense, we’re a high scoring offensive team. But you cannot go 7-0 if you are weak on defense,” he said.
“The way we practice, it’s the same intensity, the same aggressiveness, offense and defense. We play the same way everyday in practice and translate that into the game.”
Meanwhile, the 10th running Giant Risers and the cellar-dwelling Black Knights take a shot at an elusive W in their duel of struggling troops. — Olmin Leyba
