CHICAGO -- At first glance, Rain or Shine's 121-113 Game Two win over TNT today at the Rizal Coliseum seemed like an upset.
It wasn't.
The Elasto Painters merely played to their potential, something they couldn't do consistently in a Game One loss last Friday when the Tropa ran away from a tight contest with a 31-20 fourth-quarter spurt.
This time, Rain or Shine turned the tables around with a crippling 8-0 spurt that took the fight out of TNT in the final 1:16 of play.
Against snipers Calvin Oftana and Roger Pogoy, beating the Tropa in a shoot-out is a tall task as shown in Game One where both combined for 58 points on 21-of-37 shooting from the field and 6-for-11 from 3.
But Rain Or Shine's offense is not lightweight, either.
Entering the playoffs, Rain or Shine was No.1 in the PBA in points scored at 109.2 per in 11 games. They were also No.1 in assists (26.3), No.1 in fastbreak points (21.2), and No.2 in field goal percentage at 45.9 percent.
DEFENSE WINS GAMES
Taking out TNT in Game Two, however, also required heavy lifting on defense.
"We formulated a plan to limit their Big Four," coach Yeng Guiao told me in a telephone interview how he and his staff prepared for Game Two,
After pouring 88 points in Game One, TNT's Pogoy, Oftana. Jayson Castro and Kelly Williams were held to a combined 67 today as Oftana shot just 3-for-14 while Williams converted only 2-of-9.
"We played the odds and took out two of their best scorers," added Guiao, who explained that his team didn't really sulk after Game One's loss because they felt they were in there until late in the fourth.
Andrei Cacacut delivered with 21 points while Adrian Nocum and Leonard Santillan each had 20. But Jhonard Clarito was Guiao's Game Two wildcard with a 29-point effort on a blistering 10-of-12 shooting including 5-for-5 from 3.
"We saw his potential a long time ago," Guiao said of his 6-foot-2 guard. "He just needed a little time to adjust to our system."
Clarito's emergence validates a long-held notion that Guiao has a keen eye for talent and is peerless when it comes to player development.
CLARITO'S RISE TO PROMINENCE TOOK A CIRCUITOUS, UNCONVENTIONAL PATH.
He went to De Ocampo Memorial College, an institution known for producing dentists and will never be mistaken as a blue blood basketball program. Prior to entering the PBA draft the 28-year-old starred at San Juan in the MPBL.
"Masipag na bata," Guiao said.
Not all stars are born, some are made.
Jhonard Clarito, with Guiao guiding him stride for stride, is one heck of an example.
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