Rain or Shine’s gamble on Niles pays off

MANILA, Philippines – Pierre Henderson-Niles, all of the 270 pounds of him, has proved to be a major factor as the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters finally got past San Miguel Beer in a playoff matchup and put themselves in a position to repeat their glorious ride in the 2012 PBA Governors Cup.

In Niles, the Elasto Painters found the missing piece that enabled them to dismantle a towering foe in two previous Final Four face-offs – June Mar Fajardo and the Beermen.

Niles also proved to be of big help as the E-Painters swept past Greg Slaughter and the Barangay Ginebra Kings in their best-of-three quarterfinals showdown.

In their fifth finals in the last 11 conferences, the Elasto Painters have high hope of going all the way to the top with Niles providing a huge presence in the middle.

Niles and the E-Painters go for the crown either versus the Alaska Milk Aces or the Meralco Bolts. Game Four of the Alaska-Meralco series was being played at press time.

“The results speak for themselves. We’ve lost only one game with him,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao.

“His batting average is really high. He’s the kind of import that we need. We’re not dominated inside by the other big men,” Guiao added.

The fiery Rain or Shine mentor is happy their gamble on Niles paid off.

 “We’re lucky in a sense we played Ginebra and San Miguel Beer. These are the biggest teams in the league, and we’re lucky we’re able to get him,” said Guiao.

“He’s the kind of import we need in the middle. If we had Mo (Charlo) or anybody else that didn’t have the bulk and size, I don’t know if we would have been successful,” Guiao added.

Rain or Shine also had a winning ride with Charlo (4-1) but it’s very doubtful if the E-Painters could’ve matched up with Slaughter and Fajardo with him.

Niles was ROS’s fourth import in the tourney after the injury-hit Wayne Chism, Antoine Wright and Mo Charlo. The burly 6-foot-7 center out of Memphis U doesn’t have the offensive prowess of the previous ROS imports but he’s got the brute and strength that cut down to size Slaughter and Fajardo.

 The Elasto Painters have never lacked the firepower with the locals proving to be able to produce the points at any given night.

Through the semifinals, JR Quinahan, Jericho Cruz and Jeff Chan lead the team in scoring with averages of 13.5, 13.0 and 12.6 points per game.

Niles norms 12 points, 11.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 block against 2.0 errors a game.

Coming off an injury, Paul Lee has got into the grove in their last two games where he averaged 16.5 points.

 “Paul is getting his game back, and he’s combining well with the other guards. We’re looking for that chemistry, this time with new ingredients with Maverick Ahanmisi and Jericho Cruz,” said Guiao.

For a change, the Elasto Painters set out for the finals with a healthy lineup – certainly a big boost to the team that will chase a first crown since their previous title run in the 2012 Governors Cup versus BMEG (now known as the Star Hotshots).