RAIN or Shine coach Yeng Guiao expects a difficult quarterfinal round ahead, regardless of its opponent, even with the luxury of a twice-to-beat advantage come the next round.
The quarterfinal match-up has yet to clear, with the pairings expected to be finalized after the last game of the eliminations between TNT and Barangay Ginebra on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Guiao said the bottom four in the quarterfinals, which includes reigning champion TNT, is very much capable of progressing to the next round.
“Puwede mo ngang baliktarin. Yung top four, puwede mong ilagay sa ibaba. Yung nasa baba, ilagay mo sa top four, walang magugulat,” said Guiao on Friday after their 142-131 win over Titan Ultra.
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Rain or Shine claimed a twice-to-beat advantage after finishing the eliminations with a 9-3 win-loss record.
The Elasto Painters started the conference with seven straight wins, but despite faltering in the end by only winning two of the last five games, they were still able to nab a twice-to-beat advantage.
They can finish either No. 2, No. 3, or No. 4 entering the quarterfinals, depending on the result of the games on Sunday between Meralco and Magnolia, and Barangay Ginebra and TNT.
For now, Guiao said the only thing they can do is prepare and wait.
“It's really just like a lottery. Kami maghihintay lang kami ng kung sino matatapat sa amin pero wala na kaming control doon. We just wait and then as soon as we know kung sino, paghahandaan namin,” said Guiao.
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