CAELAN Tiongson contributed on offense for Rain or Shine in Game 3 aside from his defense that he has been focusing on all series long as he is one of the players tasked to limit TNT import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.
Tiongson had 18 points, seven rebounds, and four assists for the Elasto Painters in their 103-98 win over the Tropang Giga last Sunday. He shot better in Game 3, hitting 7 of 12 (58 percent) from the field, after combining for just 5 of 21 (24 percent) in the first two games.
The Rain or Shine forward even scored a short stab off a feed from Adrian Nocum with 17 seconds left for a 98-90 lead and put the finishing touches to the win.
READ: Rain or Shine finally breaks through, trims TNT lead to 2-1
The Rain or Shine rookie, however, is more concerned about his defense on Hollis-Jefferson, who remains a force even with the Elasto Painters’ effort to limit the former NBA player.
“I think RHJ is just, I can’t say it enough how great of a player he is,” said the 32-year-old Tiongson, drafted No. 7 by Rain or Shine in the Season 49 Draft. “He’s a great competitor. I think he and I are both having fun out there. It’s stressful for me for sure.”
“The points, it doesn’t matter who it comes from. So I’m just happy we got a win. I'm happy that we clawed our way back. I think we were in both those first two games that we lost and we think we could have won them. So now we’re really looking forward to trying to even up the series,” said Tiongson.
While he said that it doesn’t matter where the points come from, Tiongson admitted he is also glad to chip in offensively after his struggles. He is aware that he has been misfiring in the past two games, and his Game 3 effort was simply divine intervention.
“To be honest, I was burned out and I was at church (Sunday) and it’s all God,” Tiongson said. “It’s just all God. It’s all God. I can't say it enough how much energy and how much faith and strength that I got from God. That’s it.:
Tiongson is experiencing his first lengthy playoff run of his PBA career. Last conference, Tiongson only played for four games during the quarterfinal series against Magnolia after sustaining an injury.
Tiongson said he is a lot prepared physically for his second playoff appearance than the last time when he was just coming off a return to competitive action after coming out of retirement to join the PBA draft.
“Obviously, last conference when I missed the semifinals, I was disappointed. I think I was at home for two years doing nothing and not playing any basketball. So I’m still trying to get my legs back," he said.
“I think now, with my first taste of a deep playoff run playing in the semis, you can tell out there I’m pretty tired trying to fight through. So it’s gonna be an experience to keep going and keep trying to improve. But I’m happy to be out there. I’m happy to be helping my teammates,” said Tiongson.
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