CHICAGO --Plucking victory from the jaws of defeat is a dangerous hobby, just don't tell that to the Rain or Shine. They've turned it into a not so subtle art form.
And on Saturday night, at an out-of-town sortie in Cagayan De Oro City, the Elasto Painters exhibited another master class where the team climbed out of an 18-point hole to beat streaking TNT by a nose, 91-89.
When Rey Nambatac, the league's best four-point shooter, drilled a quadruple to give TNT a 24-6 lead at the 3:58 mark of the opening quarter, Rain or Shine's chances looked bleak given that the Tropang 5G were in the midst of a four-game winning streak.
Carrying their lovable underdogs tag like a red badge of courage, the Elasto Painters are built for moments like these when adversity needs to be conquered. So they shined when it rained.
"We made some defensive adjustments," RoS coach Yeng Guiao told me via text message after the thrilling comeback win that went through some harrowing moments in the final 7.5 seconds of play.
Coach Yeng was being modest.
LOCKDOWN DEFENSE
The defensive adjustment he plotted silenced TNT's big guns, holding the flagship team of the MVP Group to just 35 second-half points including a mere eight in the final 12 minutes.
When the smoke cleared after a blistering start, TNT was held to 31-of-79 shooting. The Tropang 5G were also outworked on the boards, 54-45, and got beat in the assists battle, 21-18.
"I didn't have to make any emotional speeches to fire them. up. They wanted the win for themselves. Just a high effort game," Guiao added when asked what he told his chargers when the going got rough.
Even at age 40, Gabe Norwood offered the most fire. He was a machine, not an elder statesman against TNT, exploding for 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting while grabbing nine rebounds and dishing five assists.
If you don't know what Norwood looks like, here's a clue: Best Player of the Game.
NO NOCUM. NO PROBLEM.
Adrian Nocum had a rough outing, just seven points on a dreadful 3-of-12 shooting but the Elasto Painters had so many dogs that carried the fight.
Gian Mamuyac had 14 points. Jhonard Clarito and Andrei Caracut combined for 15. Caelan Tiongson chipped in seven and grabbed eight boards.
The victory was so satisfying in so many ways.
"Per our calculation, the win assures us of a quarterfinal slot. This is more important than our No.1 status in the standings which could change tomorrow if NLEX beats Titan Ultra," Guiao said.
The Philippine Cup is a marathon. There's still a long ways to go.
But just like their paint, Rain or Shine's basketball team will always be in the race because of their facility to weather the toughest of storms.
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