Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao had mixed emotions after their PBA 48th Season Philippine Cup campaign ended in a semifinal sweep at the hands of powerhouse San Miguel on Friday night.
While disappointed that his team couldn't secure a win or two over the mighty Beermen in the best-of-seven series, Guiao said he was also happy that the Elasto Painters put up a brave fight and made their opponents earn every win in the series.
“Masaya kami at malungkot at the same time,” said Guiao after Game Four, where Rain or Shine squandered a 19-point lead against San Miguel, 107-100, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
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“Nakarating kami ng semifinals for the first time sa mahabang panahon. Malaking achievement na ‘yun. Pagdating dito, alam naman namin na malakas ‘yung San Miguel. Alam naman namin na mahirap talunin sa series. Pero umasa kami na maka-isa kami, dalawa. Sayang.”
In Game Four, Gian Mamuyac carried Rain or Shine on his shoulders, scoring 30 points, three shy of his career high, which he also notched against San Miguel in last season’s Commissioner’s Cup.
Adrian Nocum and Santi Santillan were also among the young Rain or Shine players who performed well against San Miguel in Friday’s game, with veterans Beau Belga and Gabe Norwood providing stability.
Unfortunately, Rain or Shine couldn’t hold on to a lead that reached a high of 73-54, as CJ Perez, June Mar Fajardo, and Don Trollano buried the key baskets to lead the Beermen to the come-from-behind win.
Guiao said the Elasto Painters learned a lot in the very competitive series and vowed that Rain or Shine will be a better team next season, benefiting from the experience gained in the San Miguel semifinal series.
“Nandoon ‘yung disappointment na may chance kami manalo eh. I think ‘yung last game pa (Game Three), may chance na kaming manalo pero hindi namin maitawid. In that aspect, we are disappointed. Could have ended it on a more positive note kung naka-isa o dalawa kami. ‘Yun lang ‘yung medyo pinanghihinayangan namin dahil tingin namin, kaya eh.”
“Pero marami kaming natutunan sa series. We will come back next conference as a better team. Alam namin kung ano pa ‘yung kulang namin. Alam din namin kung saan ‘yung strengths namin. In the offseason, we will try to improve on those aspects as we aim to build a contender team,” Guiao said.
Guiao also praised San Miguel for its performance in the four semifinal games. Playing against the Beermen provided the Elasto Painters with a barometer to aim for.
“San Miguel really, I think, deserves to be in the finals. I felt na kahit 0-4 ‘yung record namin, kahit papaano nabigyan namin sila ng laban pa rin. If we want to go deep in the playoffs sa next conference or in future conferences, we still need a few more pieces in our build-up,” said Guiao.
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“Actually, mabilis nga ‘yung improvement noong process namin. I think that’s the takeaway. Ma-experience nila ‘yung ganito as a young team, kung paano dumaan sa ganito, and what it takes to beat a team like San Miguel. Kailangang dumaan sila sa ganito.
"I cannot coach experience. ‘Yung experience, kailangang maramdaman mo at ma-immerse ka sa kung ano ang pakiramdam, preparation, at mga kailangan mo para mag-succeed ka deep in the playoffs na sa tingin ko, ‘yun ang makakapag-bilis ng improvement ng team namin. We will be a lot better team next conference,” said Guiao.
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