Guiao’s missing trophy

For Rain Or Shine coach Yeng Guiao, the time has come to win the PBA Philippine Cup. And it’s overdue. Guiao’s first title came in 1992 with Swift and his second was also with Swift the next year. The third was with Red Bull in 2001 and the fourth also with Red Bull the following year. After a long wait, Guiao bagged his fifth crown with Rain Or Shine in the 2011-12 Governors Cup. Every championship was with imports. Guiao would like nothing better than to add the most prestigious trophy of them all to his collection – the All-Filipino.

Slowly but surely, the Elasto Painters are moving into the title picture. In the 2011-12 Philippine Cup, Rain Or Shine fell a win short of advancing to the finals and lost to Powerade in the semifinals that went the distance. Ten of Guiao’s players that conference are still wearing the same colors – Paul Lee, Jeff Chan, Gabe Norwood, J. R. Quiñahan, Jervy Cruz, Beau Belga, Larry Rodriguez, Jireh Ibañes, Ryan Araña and T. Y. Tang. Gone are Ronnie Matias, Jonathan Uyloan, Chito Jaime and Ronjay Buenafe.

In the Philippine Cup last season, the Painters barged into the finals against Talk ‘N’ Text but proved no match for the Texters who didn’t yield a game in the best-of-seven playoffs. Rain Or Shine scuttled Barangay Ginebra and San Mig Coffee to arrange the title showdown only to sputter down the stretch. The 10 who played for Guiao the previous season were back. Added to the cast was Chris Tiu.

Now, the Painters are looking to go all the way. They finished the eliminations tied with Ginebra for first place with identical 11-3 records but slid to No. 2 because of the winner-over-the-other rule. Ginebra beat Rain Or Shine, 97-84, during the eliminations. Tonight, the Painters make their playoff debut with a twice-to-beat advantage over No. 7 Globalport. If the Painters win, they move on to face the winner of the quarterfinal series between No. 3 Petron and No. 6 Barako in the best-of-seven semifinals. If the Painters lose tonight, they battle the Batang Pier in a winner-take-all rematch at the Cuneta Astrodome on Saturday.

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Globalport was one of only three teams to beat Rain Or Shine in the elims. The Batang Pier upset the Painters, 90-88, last Dec. 8 then Rain Or Shine avenged the loss, 98-87, in the return encounter last Jan. 5. Globalport has lost six of its last seven outings and the only win in that stretch was a 91-88 overtime squeaker over Alaska. Without injured Jay Washington who’s nursing a partial tear of his right plantar fascia, the Batang Pier will be hard pressed to match the Painters’ firepower.

Globalport finished the elims tied for sixth with Barako Bull, Alaska and Meralco, all toting 5-9 marks. Using the PBA’s tiebreak system, Barako took No. 6 with a plus 21 factor, Global No. 7 with a plus 4, Alaska No. 8 with minus 8 and Meralco No. 9 with minus 17. Alaska beat Meralco, 94-91, in a playoff for eighth spot last Monday to sneak into the quarterfinals. The Bolts and doormat Air 21 were left out of the bus.

  Rain Or Shine is the league’s hottest team with seven straight wins. The Painters averaged 97.1 points to keep the streak alive and they’re leaving teams biting the dust. What makes Guiao’s squad a strong contender is its incredible depth. Guiao has kept his nucleus intact since Lee’s arrival in 2011 and added even more key pieces in rookies Raymond Almazan, Alex Nuyles and Jeric Teng. His equal opportunity philosophy translates into giving players the chance to rise or fall. Every player has started for Guiao this conference and only Ibanes has not scored in double figures. No player has started in every game, indicating that in Guiao’s system, there are no sacred cows.

The upside for Rain Or Shine is almost scary. Guiao’s oldest player is 31-year-old Ibanes, the only remnant from the original Welcoat lineup in 2006-07. Arana, Rodriguez and Chan are 30. The rest are in their 20s. Tang and Quinahan are 29, Tiu and Norwood 28, Belga and Cruz 27, Lee, Almazan and Nuyles 24 and Teng the baby at 22. It’s a young cast but there’s a lot of experience backing up the team.

Five of Guiao’s players weren’t even first round picks so it’s not as if he rounded up the top finds. In 2008, Norwood was the top overall draft choice and Belga was No. 5 and Rodriguez No. 9 but Tang and Chan were second round selections. Ibanes, Arana and Teng were also second rounders.

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It’s a tribute to Guiao that he’s been able to assemble a squad that suits his style. In the last draft, he found a shot-blocking rim protector to fill in the center spot. Almazan is a 6-7 3/4 beanpole with a wingspan of 81 inches. He’s long and athletic but what Guiao must like most about him is his aggressiveness. Almazan is a fighter who doesn’t mind mixing it up. He may not be as bulky as Belga or Quiñahan but certainly covers more ground with his height and reach.

Last Saturday, Guiao showcased his rookies in the Painters’ 104-94 win over Air 21 at the Big Dome. Almazan, Nuyles and Teng hit 13 points apiece. In typical Guiao fashion, every player in the 14-man rotation got to play at least 11 minutes and they all scored. Five players wound up in twin digits. Hustle was evident as the Painters outworked the Express from start to finish, collecting more fastbreak points, 17-9, more turnover points, 21-15, more steals, 10-8, more assists, 20-15, more blocked shots, 6-4 and less turnovers, 14-19.

With the PBA compressing the conference schedule to allow an early season ending for Gilas to gain more training time, Rain Or Shine has a distinct advantage because of its depth. Everyone is a potential starter in Guiao’s approach, meaning players are interchangeable with the shock troopers as dangerous as the first-stringers. That gives Guiao the luxury of setting a frenetic pace without easing the pressure. Players also aren’t afraid to foul out, knowing there are others ready to step up.

The balance in Rain Or Shine’s lineup is uncanny. The Painters are deep in every spot and nearly everyone can play multiple positions. Even with three rookies, Rain Or Shine is playing with incredible precision, leading the league in least turnovers a game and least fastbreak points allowed. The Painters are efficient on both ends of the floor.

Rain Or Shine is making a big push for the All-Filipino crown. It has the tools and ingredients to zoom to the top. Chemistry, toughness and continuity from the bench are reasons why the outlook is bright. Now, it’s up to Guiao to steer the ship home.