Humble in victory

After Rain Or Shine scored an emphatic 106-81 win over Meralco at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last Sunday, team co-owners Terry Que and Raymund Yu said the Painters just got lucky. Apparently, the humble streak rubbed off on coach Yeng Guiao who downplayed the big win by saying the Painters caught the Bolts on an off-night.

“They’ve been playing so well that maybe, they were due for a slide,” said Guiao. “We got off to a good start with our defense and wanted to take them out of their game right away. They tried to play small with us, probably to match our quickness because we were scoring a lot in transition. It had nothing to do with mind games. We try to play hard every night. We just play to our strengths.”

The message that Rain Or Shine delivered last Sunday was loud and clear. The Painters are for real with or without Paul Lee and Chris Tiu. They proved their mettle in the Governors Cup last season, bowling over B-Meg (now San Mig Coffee) in the best-of-seven finals that went the distance. Lee hurt his shoulder in Game 2 and didn’t play the rest of the way but the Painters still managed to clinch the series with the star point guard in the injured list. That resiliency is Guiao’s trademark wherever he coaches – he doesn’t rely on any one stalwart to get the job done, likes to mix and match, rotates his starters and keeps everyone ready for battle. It makes for unpredictability.

This conference, Guiao has already tapped 11 players to start. The only Painters who haven’t started are Tiu and Jonathan Uyloan. Before the season is over, they’ll get their starting assignments for sure. Last season, every player in Guiao’s roster got a start, even Uyloan and seldom-used Chito Jaime. In the Meralco game last Sunday, Uyloan logged eight minutes and Jaime, seven.

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Rain Or Shine has now raised its record to 5-2, crowding Alaska and San Mig Coffee for a share of second place. Imagine how much stronger the Painters will be when Tiu and Lee are reactivated. “I can’t wait (to play), just have to be patient so it doesn’t recur,” said Tiu, the prized rookie who strained his left hamstring in a six-minute PBA debut against Petron last Oct. 3. “My target is either last week of November or first week of December. I know Paul will not be ready ‘til the end of December.”

Lee underwent an operation on his left shoulder and is slowly coming back to form. Rain Or Shine consultant Andy Jao said Lee and Tiu are working hard to rejoin the team. “Chris is strengthening his hamstring (while) Paul is (now) doing halfcourt but not yet ready for strengthening (his) shoulder for contact – maybe in December,” said Jao.

When they return, Painters assistant coach Caloy Garcia said he doesn’t expect chemistry issues. “I don’t think there will be any adjustments,” he said. “We know what they can give us. It just adds depth to our guard rotation. Chris is a smart player so I don’t think he will have a hard time blending with the team.”

Guiao’s equal opportunity and committee approach was evident in the win over Meralco. Even as top gun Jeff Chan was held to seven points, the Painters still racked up their highest total this conference. Guard Jireh Ibanes, the sole survivor in the franchise’s original Welcoat lineup in 2006-07, showed the way with 23 points. He also contributed two rebounds, two assists, two steals and a blocked shot in 25 minutes. Additionally, Ibanes led the crew that alternated in defending Meralco’s Sol Mercado who finished with only nine points, the first time he went under double figures this conference. Three other Painters wound up in twin digit points – Beau Belga 16, Ryan Arana 15 and J. R. Quinahan 10. Five more scored at least six points in a balanced effort.

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Belga and Arana broke into double figures for the first time this conference. Big Beau also compiled three rebounds, three assists and three triples in as many attempts. Arana’s previous high was six points twice so he outdid himself in firing 15, 10 in the third period where Rain Or Shine erupted for 39. More than offense, what led to Rain Or Shine’s win was its unforgiving defense. Before the game, Meralco was the league’s No. 1 offensive team, averaging 97.9 points. The Bolts walked off the court with only 81 points on a lowly .364 field goal clip. Rain Or Shine punctuated the victory with advantages in fastbreak points 23-10, turnover points 25-10, steals 10-3 and assists 23-18.

Tomorrow, Rain Or Shine returns to confront Alaska at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The Aces are the league’s hottest team with five wins in a row. Guiao’s resiliency will once more be put to a test as the Painters go up against a team that’s rediscovered its winning trend behind new coach Luigi Trillo and a refurbished cast bannered by Jvee Casio, Cyrus Baguio, Dondon Hontiveros, Sonny Thoss, Mac Baracael, Gabby Espinas, R. J. Jazul, Tony de la Cruz, Raffy Reyes and sensational rookie Calvin Abueva.