Editor's note: This is the third of four parts where we put the spotlight on each of the semifinalists of the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup.
Part 1 - NorthPort capable of beating Ginebra with its pace, youth, depth
Part 2 - Often overlooked, TNT still the most dangerous team in Final Four
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RAIN or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao likened his squad’s position to constantly knocking at a door, convinced that one day it will open once more for them.
Coach Yeng certainly knows his way around with words, cause there’s no more poetic way to put the situation that they are in right now.
READ: Guiao says ROS' third straight semis appearance huge for independent team
For the third straight conference, Guiao and the rest of the Elasto Painters find themselves at that very door with access only for one, facing a familiar TNT Tropang Giga team that’s looking to deny their entry once more after ushering them out of contention in the previous Governors’ Cup.
Beyond that door is the PBA’s ultimate stage – a seven-game series for all the marbles, a place that Guiao has reached, and conquered several times in the past.
It’s also a place that’s getting harder and harder to reach for teams like the Elasto Painters, as the last time an independent team got beyond that door was when the now-defunct Alaska squad made the 2018 Governors’ Cup Finals, losing to Magnolia in six games.
With that in mind, having the opportunity to knock at that door, let alone do it three consecutive times, is a luxury that not many independent squads experience.
That’s why the Elasto Painters will be knocking harder than ever this time around, convinced that with consistency, their pleas for access will finally be granted once more.
What makes this team dangerous?
Of course, all four teams in the semifinals have already formed chemistry on the court and camaraderie off it, but there’s something about the growth of the Elasto Painters which makes them a little more of a team than the rest of the pack.
Chemistry can be built. But the bond of actually growing together as a team, sharing the same struggles, going through the same highs and lows from the very first day makes one team very special, and that’s exactly the case of the Elasto Painters.
This is a team that’s formed through the draft. Looking at their roster, the only players in there that weren't drafted by the Elasto Painters are Nick Demusis and veteran forward Mark Borboran.
Teams like this sacrifice for one another a little more and understand each other a little better. Sometimes in tight playoff match-ups, these little things might just very well spell the difference.
Then you factor in the heartbreaks and the experience they’ve gained in facing two powerhouse squads in San Miguel and TNT over the past two conferences, then you have a team that’s certainly ready to take things to the next level.
Fighting fire with fire
Against TNT this conference, Rain or Shine will be facing a mirror of sorts – at least when it comes to their strengths.
Both teams love taking threes, and both of them are very good at making it. They love to run. Majority of their points have come from outside the paint.
The Elasto Painters lead the league with the most number of threes with 148, TNT following closely behind at 140. The Tropang Giga ranks second in fastbreak points at 194, the Elasto Painters are only nine points behind at 185.
If this ends up being a fast-paced shootout, then this series will certainly swing Rain or Shine’s way – considering that it’s more at ease with this style of play, and it has the manpower to sustain its blitz for majority of the game with guys like Adrian Nocum, Anton Asistio, Andrei Caracut, Jhonard Clarito and Santi Santillan, among others, capable of exploding at any given time.
But that’s a big if ‘cause TNT has shown the ability to flip the switch come playoff time with its defense.
READ: 'Underrated' Deon Thompson invaluable to Rain or Shine
When the Tropang Giga beat the Elasto Painters last conference, they did so by limiting RoS’ possessions, shackling their open court offense and just grinding them out for most of the series which only lasted five games.
It’s something that the Elasto Painters are certainly more experienced to deal with, but have they gotten so much better this time around to overcome it? We’ll find out soon enough.
The good news is..
It seems like this Rain or Shine batch has found its undisputed star, and he goes by the name of Adrian Nocum.
While Yeng Guiao teams are known for their selfless basketball, there’s always that one player in the team which truly stands out as ‘the man’ for the team, and we’ve seen it from the likes of Willie Miller and Lordy Tugade in his Red Bull days, to Jeff Chan and Paul Lee in the previous iterations of his RoS squad.
Now it seems like the baton has been passed to Nocum, and the former Mapua star has shown signs that he’s more than capable of stepping into that role.
Facing an equally promising Converge side in the quarterfinals, Nocum put up averages of 18.6 points, four assists and two steals – highlighting his series with a 28-point explosion in a win-or-go-home Game Two.
One of the shiftiest guards in the league, Nocum can light up the scoresheet at any given time with a lightning quick first step and a hang time that wasn’t seen since another one of Guiao’s ex-players in Cyrus Baguio was ruling the court.
Fans are already taking notice of Nocum’s skills and exciting style of play. Guiao has already sung him praises, even putting the letters ‘MVP’ in the same sentence as Nocum in the Game Two press conference. The world is for the taking for Nocum, and the sooner he grabs it, the better for Rain or Shine.
READ: Guiao says 'unique' Nocum needs one more thing to be MVP-caliber
That’s why it’s no surprise that the player who will get Rain or Shine over the top is Nocum as well.
Rain or Shine will walk through that aforementioned door if Nocum himself takes the next step in his individual progress.
Having a balanced attack is always welcome for teams, but it pays to have a superstar to throw the ball at when play slows down and things get hard.
And basing on how TNT played them in the last conference, things will definitely get hard for them this series and that’s why they need Nocum to be at his best, taking responsibility for this squad’s offense behind the versatile Deon Thompson.
It won’t be unfair to brand Rain or Shine as an underdog entering this series against TNT, but the gap is not as big as it was last conference.
And that gap is one Nocum breakout series from being bridged.
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