Hostile: Alaska vs Rain or Shine

Ala-RoS has all the makings
of a WWE Title Fight

... is the word that best captures what fans wanted to see in yesterday's match pitting the streaking Alaska Aces and steady Rain or Shine Elastopainters. It was a glimpse of what the PBA was turning into: the team that embodies the last two years' physical, throwback, Pinoy game versus the other one that is exploring this "new" territory behind rookie Calvin "The Beast" Abueva.

But Beau Belga "pa-simples" aside, fireworks didn't erupt. Our prediction of "two flagrants and three technicals"didn't come into fruition. The game was tight with the Aces leading by no more than 6 points at the end of 3 quarters before the Elastopainters, true to form, came storming back behind ace gunner Jeffrei Chan (who we now understand was given the monicker "Negros Sniper"-- okay, we can work with that.)

SMART Gilas: Drop and give me 20

Pag sumama si Pingris, palitan na ung "Dribble Drive, "
tawaging "Patay kung patay" Pilipinas basketball

Tama na muna ung pagiging maka-"kampihan" natin. Pilipinas muna ulit ang unahin. Wag na natin ipilit ung matatanda na. Yung "mukhang pang NBA" pero puro papogi lang alam. Kunin natin ung talagang magpapakamatay para sa bola. Ung hindi papogi (Hi Alex Cabagnot).

PG L.A. Tenorio/ Jayson Castro/ Ryan Reyes/ JVee Casio
Well duh. Tenorio has proven that he can get just about anywhere on the floor. Castro is as good as they get. Reyes makes shots and plays hellaciously tough D that would make Jaworski proud and Casio is clutch. Wanted to get Sol Mercado, but who'd he bump off? Dribble drive ba kamo? 

SG Jeffrei Chan/ Jarred Dillinger/ Chris Lutz/ James Yap
Pretty solid if you ask me. Wag na natin ipilit ung mga Gary David at Mark Caguioa. 35+ na yung mga yun. Yap's in if only to please the 26k strong San Mig Coffee Mixers planet. No, seriously, Yap's been doing work under Coach Tim Cone-- the best effort we've seen from him not since his UE days.

Rain or Shine survives The Kraken

Basta si Jeff Chan ang sumipat, ilista mo na

With all due respect to the so-called powerhouse teams (on paper) in the PBA, the Rain or Shine Elastopainters look like they're the most complete team in the league today. First to go down are the heavily-favored Petron Blaze Boosters who not only have a bunch of guys who could easily fill out a Team Pilipinas/All Star roster, but also the league's number one overall draft pick and a guy expected to dominate for years, 6"9 June Mar "The Kraken" Fajardo.

The game started out real close, but come the second half the Elastopainters buckled down to work and started flexing their muscles-- literally. There were hard screens and fouls that appeared to have knocked the wind out of the Boosters-- unable to keep in step with the Elastopainters who were either driving to the rim or just passing the ball all over the court to find the open man.

SMART Gilas 2 needs to muscle up

Doug Kramer deserves a look

What's done is done, and yesterday's loss-- no matter how painful, will and should be treated as just another learning curve that our SMART Gilas Pilipinas men's basketball team has to go through to reclaim our once mighty status this side of the world.

Though the loss cost as a shot at the FIBA Asia title, let's all remember that there's still the 2013 FIBA Asia Championships which serves as qualifier for the FIBA Worlds. Let's not get ahead of ourselves now, and just stick to trying to win in Asia no matter the level of competition or play. Here are some guys, Team SMC or MVP, who should or deserve a look when it's time for Coach Chot Reyes et. al. to reassess the team and see where we need beefing up.

Hopefully, when we say "reassess and build," Mr. Manny V. Pangilinan is still at the forefront of our courageous efforts and not divorcing the program like he did with his Alma Mater.

SMART Gilas: The KKS Reinforcements

So the 34th William Jones Cup championship is in the bag and we've found ourselves back to a position of basketball respectability this side of the world. Should we rest on our laurels and send the same successful unit to the FIBA-Asia tournament this September 14? They are after all, the gold medal -winning bunch that did it via heart and desire.

Yes and no.

This writer argues that we should keep the core players: L.A. Tenorio, Jeffrei Chan, Gabe Norwood, Ranidel de Ocampo, Marcus Douthit, Sol Mercado and Larry Fonacier (yes, Pareng Larry makes the cut as the smartest PBA player today). After those guys, we should consider looking for an upgrade. Not that they're not any good (Gary David is still The Man), but we need a deeper rotation that can be relied upon (Pilipinas has been suffering from long, mid-game lulls which we cannot afford to have against better competition). So here's a short list of the guys who should be considered for the coming FIBA tournament (if they're healthy and in game shape of course).

Rain or Shine gets Tiu

Mukha lang choir boy pero mabagsik
din sa gulangan si Chris Tiu

After last year's masterful selection of eventual Rookie of the Year Paul Lee, the Rain or Shine Elastopainters found yet another gem in SMART Gilas alumnus/ TV host/ model/ entrepreneur/ heart throb Chris Tiu.

Not only will Tiu's addition boost the team with a capable rotation player, but he alone would uplift the Elastopainters' fanbase and improve their overall PR slant. As a player, Tiu will have time to develop and shine since Lee will be sidelined at the start of the Philippine Cup due to his shoulder injury/ surgery. A natural shooting guard, look for Tiu to play the point and steal minutes from his Xavier teammate TY Tang.

PBA GovCup Finals: Rain or Shine leads 1-0

Norwood's speed and length
is causing trouble for Big Game James

In a game expected to be in the battle-tested, veteran-laden B-Meg Llamados, the Rain or Shine Elastopainters hacked out an impressive win anchored on solid defense, balanced offense and unbridled confidence and composure.

While the Llamados looked out of sync and a step slower (blame it on them having to play a grind-out game against the Ginebra Gin Kings last Friday), they were flat out beaten by a team that was ready for the big stage. Defensively, the Elastopainters worked hard as a team to keep the ball from moving side to side as the Llamados often do. James Yap top scored for the Llamados with 19, but import Marqus Blakely, PJ Simon and even Marc Pingris (who has been on a recent tear) were held to no more than 12 points each.

PBA GovCup Finals: BMeg vs Rain or Shine

Pisikalan at pagalingan sa pagtira ng tres

Prepare for war.

Though the Rain or Shine Elastopainters enjoy a 2-0 GovCup match-up advantage over the BMeg Llamados, it still wouldn't be wise to cast the Yeng Guiao-coached squad as the instant favorites. Not against a team that just came off a championship run, is peaking at the right time and has a certain individual named Tim Cone hollering Hall of Fame plays from the bench.

From an individual talent standpoint, the Llamados feature some of the league's best while the Elastopainters have guys who are solid but not great. Household names such as James Yap, PJ Simon and Marc Pingris command star power and much leeway from the referees which could ultimately decide the series. On the other side of things, Jeffrei Chan's outside sniping could very well be the key to the series-- how open he gets off brush and backdoor screens and makes his SG counterparts Yap and Simon work on defense.

Breakthrough!

First Finals appearance in 6 years

The Rain or Shine Elastopainters have finally broken through the glass ceiling and reached the PBA Finals for the first time in the franchise's six years in the PBA. This, after repeatedly failing in advancing early in the semifinals and facing injuries to key players Jeffrei Chan and super rookie Paul Lee.

With tonight's 92-82 victory over the BMeg Llamados, the Elastopainters have achieved what head coach Yeng Guiao was brought in to do: to barge into the Finals despite not having established PBA superstars in the fold and overcoming superpowers such as the San Miguel and MVP teams. Guiao's appointment instantly made the Elastopainters a dangerous squad, with guys being brought in to play specific roles that were to benefit the overall team game. Hot shot Sol Mercado was sent to Meralco in order to balance out the roster while guys like Beau Belga, JayR Quinahan and Ronjay Buenafe were brought in to make the transition from pretty boy Coach Caloy Garcia to Coach Yeng easier and faster.

Stuck on Cloud 9

Belga needs to be
on target for Wednesday

The Rain or Shine Elastopainters' dream of making the PBA Governor's Cup Finals outright is now over, with Wednesday's game versus the rising BMeg Llamados to dictate which team advances to the big stage. The loser of that match will have to play again versus the winner of the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings- Talk 'n' Text Tropang Texters playoffs in order to proceed to the next and final round.

So, with the Elastopainters needing to secure "only" two to three wins in the semifinals, what went wrong-- given their lofty standings at the end of eliminations and how easily they breezed through the competition game in and game out? It's pretty simple: everyone else improved, superstar rookie point guard Paul Lee hurt his shoulder and the Elastopainters peaked a little too early in this shortened conference.

Finals Preview?

E kung ganito ba
naman idepensa sayo

In a game that could very well serve as a preview to the season-ending PBA Governor's Cup Finals, the Rain or Shine Elastopainters failed to overcome the streaking Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings-- losing 95-86.

While Ginebra lost some of its "Never Say Die" patent to the rising Powerade Tigers, the real budding rivalry is with the Elastopainters who are looking more and more like the old Batang Red Bull Thunder squad of, hey, current head coach Yeng Guiao. Years back, when the Thunder came into the league, they quickly won over some of Ginebra's fans behind the exploits of names such as Jimwell Torion, Willie Miller, Junthy Valenzuela, Davonna Harp and Mick Penissi. Those guys balled and had kanto swag which made them crowd darlings in an instant.

Ditto with the Elastopainters who are rallying around Guiao's old school Pinoy macho coaching style that rewards the efforts of its players while punishing opponents on defense.

E-Painters' Hustle and Flow

Yeng Guiao has his team ready 

Despite last night's 90-88 setback to the Petron Blaze Boosters, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters need only to win two of their remaining four semifinal assignments to make a run at the PBA Governor's Cup Finals. That, plus they sure as hell made a valiant comeback from 23 points down and were maybe three to four missed free throws from stealing the game.

Though they started the game rather slugglishly while the Boosters were shooting the lights off the gym, the E-Painters never really looked out of it. The team kept battling, forcing turnovers and making it difficult for the Boosters to score inside specially in the third and fourth quarters.

Rain or Shine scores back-to-back wins

Ready? Sing!
My toes, my knees, my shoulders, my pwet.

Just a couple of days separated from their victory over the still adjusting Alaska Aces, the Rain or Shine Elastopainters were able to score another win this time over newly minted PBA Commissioner's Cup champions BMeg Llamados 100-94.

And while Quinito Henson shamelessly froths at the mouth over the athleticism of the Elastopainters' Gabe Norwood (who was just a couple of adjectives away from going so far as calling Norwood the league's LeBron James), the game was won by the team as a whole.