Painters ready to buck odds, aim for final

MANILA, Philippines - Rain or Shine made an impressive run in the PBA’s last conference by posting some breakthrough feats, notably reaching the quarterfinals for the first time after four forgettable conferences.

Coach Caloy Garcia and team owners Raymund Yu and Terry Que hope they can improve on their quarterfinal showing in coming PBA Motolite Fiesta Cup, and break into the finals.

They added it’s going to be a tall order especially for a team still in the rebuilding stage following its successful stint in the Philippine Basketball League (PBL). But no matter how great the odds are, the Rain or Shine management is willing to face up to the challenge.

“We hope we can better our performance last conference, but to do that, we have to work really hard from the start,” said Yu. “Though we lost in the quarterfinals stage, it was already a big accomplishment for Rain or Shine.”

Credit the team’s strong performance to splendid showing of JR Reyes – easily one of the league’s fast-rising stars.

And the exploits of the three talented rookies in Gabe Norwood, Sol Mercado and Ty Tang. They provided the Elasto Painters the class, savvy, firepower and stability, which they lacked in their first two seasons in the league.

In fact, Rain or Shine is now one of the most popular teams in the league right now.

“We have already a huge following, so we have to play as hard as we can and continue to entertain the crowd with our brand of basketball,” said Que. “Despite the crowd support, it is paramount for us to raise the level of our game.”