Guiao insists ‘it ain’t over’

Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao isn’t ready to raise the white flag. San Miguel Beer is up, 3-0, in its PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven series against the Elasto Painters and just one win away from waltzing into the Last Dance. Game Four is set at the MOA Arena tonight with Guiao determined to avoid a sweep.

“It’s not over ‘til it’s over,” said Guiao. “We are as motivated to win Game Four as we were to win Game One. Motivation has not waned because we look at this series as the start of our process in building a winning team. I have a bunch of guys giving their best and learning from their experience. Not getting swept is certainly additional motivation not to lose heart.”

In six previous semis series between the two franchises, San Miguel won four but none via a sweep. This is Guiao’s third season with Rain or Shine since rejoining the squad after leaving in 2016 and it’s his first semis appearance since the 2018 Philippine Cup with NLEX. Overall, Guiao is in his 21st conference with Rain or Shine which he led to its two PBA titles in the 2011 Governors’ Cup and 2016 Commissioner’s Cup.

Guiao, a PBA coach since 1990, has seven championships under his belt and with 10 players under-30 of 16 in the lineup, said he’s optimistic of what’s ahead. “I believe we have a core of young guys who can be championship caliber in the near future but they have to learn things only experience can teach,” he said. Rain or Shine’s average age is 29.9 years with Gabe Norwood and Mark Borboran, both 39, pulling up the norm.

Against the Beermen, Guiao said defense is critical. “They’ve got a lot of weapons in their arsenal but the key is finding a scheme to contain June Mar (Fajardo) because he’s the glue that keeps them together with his sheer size and skill advantage and makes everything easier for the rest of his team,” he noted. “I feel we can keep on trying different schemes but in the end, we just have to work harder and smarter. We want to keep playing for as long as we can because that’s the best way for us to learn and get better.”