By Waylon Galvez
That Rain or Shine opened its PBA Philippine Cup campaign with back-to-back wins against high-caliber teams may have come as a surprise to many, but not to the Elasto Painters.
They knew it was bound to happen.
The Elasto Painters first toppled the NLEX Road Warriors, 96-87, on Jan. 18 before following it up with a thrilling 83-80 victory over Barangay Ginebra San Miguel last Saturday in Calasiao, Pangasinan.
Veteran Beau Belga said it can be attributed to their preparation.
“We came in prepared for every game, every detail on both ends we got it covered,” said Belga in Filipino. “And during practice we’re really enjoying what we are doing, all players and coaches are really working hard.”
“I think that’s the important thing for us, the reason why we are winning games against strong teams,” added the 6-foot-7 Belga.
Former two-time MVP James Yap said there is now balanced offensive contribution in the team.
It was evident against Ginebra as Mark Borboran and Norbert Torres came off the bench to lead ROS with 12 points apiece while Maverick Ahanmisi added 11 points.
“All the players are contributing, so every player is a threat,” said Yap, who scored 20 points against NLEX but finished with just nine points over Ginebra,
“It doesn’t matter if you’re a rookie or a veteran, every player is working hard towards one goal and that is to win,” he added.
Yap said they expect to be tested in the coming games, but draws courage from that fact they had been working together as a team.
Rain or Shine will have another tough week when it plays three games in seven days.
They face Blackwater on Wednesday at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City, followed by the game against defending champion San Miguel
Beer on Friday at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo City, and then Alaska on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Elasto Painters have survived their initial acid test. Now they go through the gauntlet.
