Guiao: Painters trying hard to disrupt Magnolia’s perimeter game

MANILA, Philippines – Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao on Wednesday stressed the importance of limiting the efficiency of the Magnolia Hotshots from the 4-point area moving forward, after barely taking Game 1 of their PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinal series.
 
On Wednesday, Rain or Shine saw their two-point, 82-80, lead at the start of the fourth quarter turn into a 10-point deficit after Hotshots Jerrick Ahanmisi and Aris Dionisio launched bombs from beyond and way beyond the arc. 

Ahanmisi and Dionisio sandwiched a layup by Adrian Nocum to make it 86-84 in favor of Magnolia. 

In the next two possessions, Ahanmisi and Dionisio sank back-to-back 4-pointers to make it 94-84 within the first two minutes of the fourth quarter. 

However, Rain or Shine dug deep, clamped down on defense, and hit the big shots en route to a 109-105 win. 

After the game, Guiao bared that the team already prepared for the 4-point and 3-point onslaughts of Magnolia ahead of the game, especially with the wealth of knockdown shooters.
 
“Actually, in-anticipate na namin yun. Sinabihan ko sila Jhonard [Clarito] saka yung team kanina, sabi ko kung matatalo man tayo sa game na ito, ang tingin kong pwedeng tumalo sa atin is yung 3-point shot saka 4-point shots nila,” Guiao told reporters after the win. 

“Yung ibang ginagawa nila kaya nating i-scheme, kaya nating depensahan, pero kahit na conscious ka that they can make the 3 and the 4, iba pa rin pag andoon e, mahirap pa rin sa aktwal na depensahan. That’s why part of the game plan siguro is just to be able to lessen their efficiency,” he added. 

The Hotshots finished with a 6-of-12 clip from 4-point area, good for 50% shooting. They struggled from the 3-point area, making just five of their 24 attempts. 

“Mataas masyado yung 50% shooting from 4. Sabi ko nga, fantastic masyado yun. We’ll try to lessen that because we know, they’ll take a lot more 4-point shots, not just 3-point shots,” he said. 

Guiao also stressed that stopping Jerrick Ahanmisi from 4-point territory will be big. He made three of his four attempts from that range. 

“Parang specialty na rin ni Ahanmisi, so you have to pay special attention to that. Kung nagmintis lang yun, baka hindi kami masyadong nahirapan pero yun talagang nagpahirap sa amin, yung 4 point shots niya.” 

With the hard-fought win, Rain or Shine is now a step closer to the semifinal round. 

Meanwhile, Guiao said that they were also able to “pass their character test” especially with the Hotshots' long-range bombs connecting. 

“Advantage is just that we're willing to battle. We were just trying to grind it out, nung natirahan kami ng tatlo, apat ata na four-point shots yun, a team of weaker stuff would have folded up. So it’s a testament to the character of the guys. We were able to come back out of that,” Guiao said. 

“Palagay ko, our character is being tested and at least for now, we passed the test.” 

Game 2 of the series will be on Friday in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.