No matter the weather

It’s been raining and shining lately in the PBA Philippine Cup as coach Caloy Garcia’s Elasto Painters are on a roll to break away from the pack early this conference. So far, Rain Or Shine has compiled a 7-1 record, already surpassing by one its total wins in the previous Philippine Cup. The Painters have won their last five assignments, including a 98-94 overtime decision over second placer Phoenix and a 75-74 cliffhanger over last Governors Cup champion Magnolia.

What stands out in ROS’ record is the Painters have defeated the three highly-touted San Miguel teams – Barangay Ginebra, 83-80, San Miguel Beer, 108-98 and Magnolia. Those three teams captured a title each in the PBA’s three conferences last campaign. Rain Or Shine has three more games to go in the eliminations – TNT at the Ynares Center in Antipolo on March 3, Columbian Dyip at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on March 6 and Meralco at the Cuneta Astrodome on March 15.

If ROS finishes first in the eliminations, it will gain a twice-to-beat advantage over the No. 8 placer in the eight-team quarterfinals. The four quarterfinal survivors will face off in two separate best-of-seven pairings in the semifinals. The finals will be a best-of-seven affair. 

At the moment, Garcia isn’t thinking beyond the three games in ROS’ remaining schedule. Last season, ROS made the Final Four only once in three conferences, winding up third in the Commissioner’s Cup. Garcia’s hoping to improve on ROS’ sixth place showing in the previous Philippine Cup where the Painters were booted out by Ginebra via a sweep in the best-of-three quarterfinals.

Gone from the last Philippine Cup roster are Chris Tiu (retired), Don Trollano (now with TNT), Jerramy King (now with Columbian), Jericho Cruz (now with TNT) and Ronnie Matias. Jay Washington is in the reserve list. The newcomers are rookies Javee Mocon and JJay Alejandro and veteran Kris Rosales. 

Unpredictability is the key to ROS’ surge. Garcia has tweaked his offense to put a premium on taking the best shot available with no designated shooter. It’s an equal opportunity system that’s predicated on ball movement, reading the defense and creating good looks. Because everyone gets a chance to score, Garcia has built an atmosphere of togetherness in the team. Teamwork is evident. Nobody’s taking bad shots. Players are watching each other’s back. The system has no place for players who stray from the system and play for themselves.

A beneficiary of the system is veteran James Yap who’s the team’s leading scorer with an average of 14.75 points, shooting 40 percent from beyond the arc. Yap has a knack for making himself open for a pass and when the ball is moving, it will eventually find him in a scoring position. It’s the same reason why Norbert Torres, Rey Nambatac, Rosales and Mark Borboran are hitting at least 50 percent from deep. When the defense sags, Garcia’s bigs take advantage of the separation to fire threes. 

Aside from Yap, ROS’ other double figure scorers are Maverick Ahanmisi (12.75), Torres (10.6) and Beau Belga (10). Down the line are Raymond Almazan (8.0), Nambatac (7.6), Mocon (7.3), Rosales (6.1), Gabe Norwood (4.9) and Borboran (4.8). Ed Daquioag, Jewel Ponferada, Sidney Onwubere and Dexter Maiquez are others in the cast. The Painters are all contributing and they’re excited about it. “We were too stagnant in the past,” said Garcia. “Now, we want our bigs to make reads and not just rely on ballscreens. We want our guards to still create but this time, with ball movement. It’s more of a team game for us now.” Clearly, the adjustment is paying off.

Belga’s emergence as a team leader comes as a surprise. Known as an enforcer, Belga is embracing his role as the man whom Garcia will rely on the court. He’s averaging 10 points, 4.5 assists and 5.9 rebounds while setting picks, finding open teammates, drawing his defender outside and using his wide body to create space under the boards. 

Garcia said the team’s bonding trip in Bahrain early this year set the tone for the Painters’ new spirit of togetherness. He’s not counting his chickens before they’re hatched but it’s obvious that the outlook is bright for ROS. Whether it’s raining or shining, the Painters are finding a way to stay on top of the heap.