First to the Finals

Rain Or Shine finished out of the top four at the end of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup eliminations but was first to the Finals after blanking No. 4 Barangay Ginebra in two straight games in the best-of-3 quarterfinals and taking out No. 1 San Miguel Beer, 3-1, in the best-of-5 semifinals.

The Elasto Painters tied Alaska and Ginebra for third place with identical 7-4 records in the eliminations but fell to No. 5 because of an inferior quotient. They lost to Alaska, 128-102 and Ginebra, 103-92, to drop down the ladder. But Rain Or Shine has come back strong after a lowly 1-3 start and now totes an overall record of 12-5. The Painters have won eight of their last nine outings, including seven in a row. The only bump was their 104-98 setback to an importless San Miguel in Game 3 of the semifinals.

Last Sunday, coach Yeng Guiao made sure there wouldn’t be a Game 5 against San Miguel. The Beermen sacked original import Tyler Wilkerson on an attitude issue and played Rain Or Shine with an all-Filipino cast in Game 3 last Thursday. Although extremely talented on the court, Wilkerson was a cancer to the team. He basically played for himself and that didn’t sit well with the coaching staff and team management.

Fighting for their lives like desperate warriors, the Beermen battled fiercely without an import to win Game 3. Coach Leo Austria called in Arizona Reid, slated to play for San Miguel in the Governors Cup, early to take over from Wilkerson. Like a good soldier, Reid showed up last Saturday morning and reported for duty.

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Reid gave it his all in Game 4, collecting 25 points, 17 rebounds and five assists but the effort went for naught. The Beermen fought bravely but couldn’t stave off the rampaging Painters. San Miguel had little left in the tank after Game 3 and not even Reid could stem the tide. Rain Or Shine was unstoppable in hacking out a 124-99 win to advance to the Finals.

Here are five reasons why Rain Or Shine was first to the Finals.

 • Timing. The Painters are peaking at the right time. Paul Lee sat out the first five games of the conference due to injury and slowly, worked his way back to form. He averaged four points in eight games before the semifinals then in the San Miguel series, boosted his clip to 11.8 points. In Game 3, Lee fired 15 and in Game 4, took Best Player honors with a conference-high 18 points.

 Other players who are stepping up in the playoffs are Gabe Norwood (conference-high 15 points against San Miguel in Game 4), Jericho Cruz (conference-high 25 points against San Miguel in Game 3), Chris Tiu (playoff conference-high 13 points against San Miguel in Game 4), Maverick Ahanmisi (career-high 23 points against San Miguel in Game 1) and Raymond Almazan (playoff conference-high 10 points against San Miguel in Game 4). Jeff Chan, leading scorer J. R. Quinahan, Beau Belga, Jireh Ibanes and Jewel Ponferada are also contributing significant numbers in the title push.

 • Hungry. Rain Or Shine has won only one title in PBA history and it came with import Jamelle Cornley in the 2011-12 Governors Cup. Since the 2011-12 season, the Painters have made it to 12 Final Fours and six Finals in 14 conferences. Rain Or Shine has been a bridesmaid in its last four Finals appearances, including the previous Commissioner’s Cup where the Painters lost to Tropang TNT in double overtime in the Game 7 decider.

 There’s no hungrier team in the PBA than Rain Or Shine because the Painters have been so close in capturing their second crown for too long. Could this be Guiao’s time? Guiao has won six titles so far, two with Swift, three with Red Bull and one with Rain Or Shine. He’s looking to end a 10-conference championship drought.

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• Equal opportunity. Everyone gets a chance to play in Guiao’s system. Each player has started at least once, even seldom-used Josan Nimes, Ronnie Matias and Jeric Teng. Nobody has a lion’s share of minutes, except for import Pierre Henderson-Niles who’s the only Painter averaging at least 30 minutes. Five locals are averaging at least 20 minutes and eight, at least 15 so Guiao keeps his players on their toes with a quick, deep rotation.

 Four locals are averaging in double figure points – Quinahan (13.5), Cruz (13.0), Chan (12.6) and Ahanmisi (10.4). Three locals are averaging more points than Henderson-Niles which is unprecedented for an import in PBA history. Five players are hitting at least 35 percent from beyond the arc (Ahanmisi .419, Cruz .412, Chan .378, Quinahan .377 and Tiu .375) and four are shooting at least 80 percent from the line (Tiu .975, Lee .95, Chan .841 and Almazan .825).

• Import fit. Henderson-Niles is perfect for Guiao’s style. He’s an interior operator who doesn’t take away offensive opportunities from teammates. The wide-bodied former University of Memphis power forward focuses on defense, board work and setting up teammates so he’s no scene stealer. Henderson-Niles is a rarity in that he shoots a higher clip from the field (.547) than the line (.483) but even if he sucks from the stripe like Shaquille O’Neal, Dwight Howard, DeAndre Jordan and Andre Drummond, the big guy is an inspirational leader and a rally catalyst.

• Killer instinct. The Painters strike hardest when they smell blood. They don’t back off when their prey is wounded – they go for the kill. In the pro game where big leads aren’t insurmountable, a killer instinct is an advantage. It was evident in Game 4 last Sunday when Rain Or Shine mercilessly crushed San Miguel by 25 points.

 The Painters are No. 1 in the league in least fastbreak points allowed, meaning their transition defense is unforgiving. They’re also No. 3 in most opponents’ turnovers at 16.9 so that generates more possessions and more chances to score. Rain Or Shine is No. 1 in two-point field goal percentage at .507 and No. 2 in offense with 104.1 points a game so it’s a team that thrives in a battle of possessions.

 Will Rain Or Shine’s quest for a second title come to a happy ending this conference? You could almost hear Guiao say it’s about time.