Waiting in the wings

Rain Or Shine hasn’t played since dumping Petron, 97-88, in Game 5 to clinch their best-of-seven semifinal series at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last Friday and will be a lot fresher than the Elasto Painters’ adversary when the PBA Philippine Cup Finals gets underway tomorrow or Friday.

If San Mig Coffee beat Barangay Ginebra last night, the Painters will face the Mixers to start the best-of-seven Finals at the Big Dome tomorrow. If San Mig lost, the Mixers battle Ginebra in a do-or-die Game 7, also at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, tomorrow with the winner advancing to engage Rain Or Shine in the Finals starting Friday. Whatever happened last night, Rain Or Shine is sitting pretty with an eye on the prize. For sure, either San Mig or Ginebra will be exhausted from their gruelling series when the Finals begin and that’s a huge disadvantage because the Painters enjoy the deepest rotation in the league, meaning coach Yeng Guiao has the luxury of running either team to the ground.

Rain Or Shine’s deep rotation extends to its coaching staff. Can you imagine the Painters disposing of Petron in the Game 5 clincher with Guiao watching on TV in Pampanga? Assistant coach Caloy Garcia took over from the fiery congressman who served out a one-game suspension due to successive ejections and the Painters steamrolled the Blaze Boosters, 97-88. Obviously, Guiao’s system works so efficiently that even if he takes the day off, the Painters still get the job done because they know what to do. It’s all about clockwork execution.

But in the Finals, don’t expect Guiao to risk an absence. Rain Or Shine will need his presence every game because too much is at stake. Guiao has never won an All-Filipino crown and he’s close to finally breaking the jinx.

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A check on Rain Or Shine’s roster shows that every player has started at least four games this conference and everyone has scored in double figures. It’s not as if Guiao is giving token recognition to his players because even rookies Alex Nuyles and Jeric Teng have had four starts apiece. The fact that everyone has scored in twin digits is an indication that Guiao isn’t pulling the reins.

In Guiao’s equal opportunity approach, no one has started in every game. Jeff Chan has the most starts with 12 then Beau Belga and Gabe Norwood come next with 11 each. Remember that the Painters have played 20 games so far. Rookie Raymond Almazan, Ryan Arana and J. R. Quinahan have logged eight starts each. The distribution of labor is why no player is averaging 25 minutes or more. Six players are averaging at least 22 minutes and everyone is averaging at least 10. In contrast, three Ginebra players are averaging at least 33 minutes and four Mixers at least 30. If the Finals turns out to be a long series, Rain Or Shine’s depth will play a decisive role in determining the survivor.

PBA commissioner Chito Salud is confident the Finals will be officiated efficiently. “We’re not just sitting and watching games,” said PBA media bureau chief Willy Marcial. “The Commissioner is constantly reviewing the performance of each referee in every game. If there are missed or wrong calls, it’s not deliberate. We have no reason to suspect malice. When we review a game, we look at the angles from 12 different cameras, eight from TV5 and four which we operate on our own. From what we’ve observed, missed or wrong calls arise from poor positioning, anticipation of what could happen leading to a misjudgment and a lack of appreciation of a play due to an obstructed view or the subjectivity in determining the extent of contact whether it’s ‘manipis’ or ‘makapal.’”

Marcial said Salud isn’t hesitating to drop the axe on erring referees. “We started the season with 15 referees then the Commissioner brought it down to 10, nine and now eight,” he said. “Everyone is on the watchlist. We could still trim the pool further depending on performance.”

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Marcial said the PBA has so far meted out seven suspensions involving two Class B and five Class C referees, ranging from one to two weeks. One other referee was canned from Jan. 13 until the end of the conference. A two-week suspension on a Class B referee could mean a loss of income of about P30,000 and P20,000 on a Class C. The average monthly salary of a referee is P50,000 to P60,000. A referee who works a game earns an additional P3,000.

“A referee feels it in his pocket if he’s suspended,” said Marcial. “In the Finals, we don’t expect the game to be less or more physical. Coach Yeng knows where to draw the line. We know that Rain Or Shine likes to play physical but coach Yeng won’t push beyond the limits. The referees won’t tolerate rough or dirty play and coach Yeng knows that.”

Salud said he always reminds the referees to blow their whistles only on clear and hard contact so as not to destroy the flow or beauty of the game. “With regard to our game officials, rest assured we are always on top of the situation,” he said. “Each game official is under close scrutiny by our office. Every game is reviewed and every game official evaluated. The fans deserve nothing less than well-officiated ball games and we are doing everything we can to ensure that our game officials adhere to the tenets of competence and integrity.”