Rain or Shine is the only team outside the San Miguel Corp. and MVP blocs to make the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup semifinals. The Elasto Painters will face TNT in a best-of-seven series.
Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guio sees the Elasto Painters as "gate-crashers" in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup semifinals.
This after Rain or Shine ousted no. 2-seed NLEX on Saturday, June 21, to earn the right to face Grand Slam-seeking TNT in the penultimate stage of the All-Filipino. San Miguel and Ginebra square off in the other semifinal pairing.
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“I’m really proud of these guys because now TNT is there, San Miguel is there, Ginebra is there, and then Rain or Shine is there. Sino ba kami?” he said.
“Parang gate-crashers lang kami dito. Ang daming mas malaking mga kumpanya, mas maraming resources, pero kami nakarating dito.”
Guiao went on to use a famous Filipino remark alluding to outsiders, stemming from the fact Rain or Shine is the only team not from the San Miguel Corp. and MVP blocs to crack the Final Four.
“Pinabili lang kami ng suka, nakarating na kami dito. Pintura na, may kasama na,” he said, drawing laughter from the members of the press at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Malate.
While Guiao felt the seventh-seeded Rain or Shine is the outsider in this cast, the Elasto Painters have proven in the last four conferences they belong in this stage.
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The youthful Elasto Painters led by Adrian Nocum, Jhonard Clarito, and Santi Santillan, in fact, have made the semifinals for the fourth straight time.
And while they are in this party, Guiao and the Elasto Painters might as well dance when the best-of-seven semifinals begin on Wednesday, June 25 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
(With reports from Gillian Trinidad)