UNLIKE in Game One, Rain or Shine import Deon Thompson played through the whole match and delivered a performance the Elasto Painters desperately needed.
Thompson had 28 points, 18 rebounds, seven assists, and two blocks in a huge bounce-back performance, as RoS defeated Converge, 114-104, on Friday to force a sudden death for a place in the semifinals.
READ: Rain or Shine finishes strong to beat Converge, force decider
It was in contrast to Thompson's performance in Game One where he fouled out with still eight minutes to play in the third quarter to eventually end up with 14 points and six rebounds in just 24 minutes.
Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao was critical about the officiating then, even to the point of calling on the PBA to investigate the referees who were assigned to the contest.
Even with his remarks, however, Guiao said he also let Thompson know that some of his fouls were unnecessary, which eventually cost them the series-opener.
“You have to learn your lessons,” he said Guiao. “’Yun ‘yung natutunan namin. Galit na galit talaga ako, kahit kay Caelan [Tiongson] na kapag they are committing those I feel na avoidable fouls, unnecessary fouls.”
“That gets us into foul trouble. You give up free throws. Those are the cheap baskets that you give up unnecessarily. Hindi naman kailangan eh. And pagdating sa ganitong series, every possession, every point is going to be important.”
Thompson takes care of business
Thompson answered the call of Guiao, with his presence allowing the Elasto Painters to defend better against the FiberXers' formidable frontline of Cheick Diallo, Justin Arana, and Justine Baltazar.
His presence also allowed Rain or Shine to battle on the boards, triggering their running game that also led to a 27-18 gap in assists, a complete-180 to the 32-21 advantage in dimes in favor of Converge in Game One.
“We tried to emphasize that na let’s not commit the same mistakes. Then we tried to play at our pace which is just to be quick, play at a fast pace, and move the ball. We had 27 assists, so that was good for us and we shot well with our three-points,” Guiao said.
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