CHICAGO - In a brief telephone interview hours before Wednesday night's quarterfinal match-up, coach Yeng Guiao told me about the peril that lay ahead for his seventh-seeded Rain or Shine team.
"They [NLEX] hit the right combination of talent and personnel. They have natural chemistry with (Robert) Bolick as the hub," the seven-time PBA champion coach said of the No.2 ranked Road Warriors.
While NLEX indeed has the big names on the roster - Bolick, Kevin Alas, and Javee Mocon, to name a few - the Elasto Painters have the dogs.
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And Guiao unleased those dogs at the PhilSports Arena where they took a big bite out of the Road Warriors' twice-to-beat advantage, 92-89, and forced a sudden-death duel for a place in the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals.
Jhonard Clarito led the pack with 20 points and 21 rebounds. Adrian Nocum also finished with 20 while Leonard Santillan added 16.
After surrendering 36 points in the third quarter, a surge that wiped out their 47-37 halftime lead, the Elasto Painters dug out of a 77-69 hole in the final 10:22.
GAME OF RUNS.
But just as it appeared as though NLEX had regained momentum and created a clear path to victory, Rain or Shine went on a game-ending 23-12 run.
"They shot the ball really well. Game of runs. We got ours in the first half. they had theirs in the third," Guiao said.
The abrupt reversal was an affirmation of the toughness and resiliency of Guiao's boys. It was also a referendum on whether Bolick can be a consistent big-time playoffs performer.
In this one, on a night when Rain or Shine's defense stuck to him like body odor, Bolick's shoulders couldn't handle the weight of superstar expectations.
Fondly teased as Hali-Berto, a reference to the great Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers in the NBA, Bolick's performance didn't come nowhere close to hallelujah.
BELOW PAR.
He finished with just 15 points on 5-of-20 shooting from the field, including 0-for-8 from 3-point distance. He also carded five rebounds and three assists..
During the elimination round, Bolick averaged 18.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 7.1 dimes in 11 games.
To his credit, Bolick drilled a cold 4 that got NLEX within 90-89 with still 1:31 to go in the final stanza.
After that heat check, though, the 29-year-old sharpshooter fired blanks, missing two lay-ups and a triple attempt in the final 58 seconds of the thriller.
In the grand scheme of things, NLEX, with its superior lineup, is still favored to advance to the Final Four.
Assuming, of course, that Bolick meets the moment this Saturday.
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