Rain or Shine, Powerade confident to make it all the way

MANILA, Philippines - Though relatively young and untested as they are, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and the Powerade Tigers are confident they have what it takes to make the Last Dance.

Upset winners in the quarterfinals, the Elasto Painters and the Tigers set out in their semifinal showdown on Jan. 4 at the Cuneta Astrodome optimistic they can get going and advance to the PBA Philippine Cup finale.

Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao expects of bigger things to come after sweeping away Barangay Ginebra in their best-of-three quarterfinal series showdown.

“I’m looking at it as a good sign,” said Guiao.

Powerade coach Bo Perasol, meanwhile, just can’t be more ecstatic after pulling the rug from under playoffs top seed B-Meg, overcoming the Llamados’ twice-to-beat advantage.

Defying the odds versus the powerhouse Llamados, the Tigers are upbeat they can fare better against the Elasto Painters.

“I would like to believe that we can match up well with Rain or Shine,” said Perasol.

Both teams are not taking one another lightly, though.

“Powerade deserves to be in the semifinals. They worked hard for it. They were the underdogs but beat the odds. They can strike again if we let them be,” said Guiao, particularly wary of Powerade hotshot Gary David.

“The way Gary David is playing, we have to find a way to ice those hot hands,” said Guiao of David who averaged 34.5 points in their two-game quarters upset of the Llamados.

Rain or Shine is likely to alternate tough defenders Gabe Norwood and Jireh Ibanes on the Powerade top gun, the tourney’s leading scorer with a 22.5-point clip.

Ibanes did a good job on David, holding him down to 14 points as Rain or Shine topped Powerade, 96-93, in their elimination-round meeting last Oct. 9.

The awaited Jvee Casio-Paul Lee showdown didn’t happen then since the top pick was still nursing an injury.

They finally meet head-on in the RoS-Powerade semifinal duel.

Both Casio and Lee show impressive averages going to the semis. Casio logs 11.2 points, 2.0 rebounds and 6.2 assists an outing while Lee piles up 13.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.

Perasol is well aware that Rain or Shine is not just about Lee. The youthful Powerade bench chieftain said he’s wary of the Elasto Painters’ transition game and outside shooting.

In the end, it could be a question of will and determination. Both teams are determined to sustain their drive towards achieving a breakthrough win.