RAIN or Shine made the Philippine Basketball Association semifinals for the fourth straight conference and it's something coach Yeng Guiao is certainly very proud of.
No one after all, expect the seventh seed Elasto Painters to be back in the Final Four.
As Guiao puts it, his team is merely a semifinals gate crasher.
"I'm really proud of these guys because now, TNT is there, San Miguel is there, Ginebra is there. And then Rain or Shine is there. Sino ba kami? Parang gate crasher lang kami dito," the Rain or Shine coach stressed.
"Ang daming mas malaking mga kumpanya, mas maraming resources pero kami nakarating dito. Pinabili lang kami ng suka, nakarating kami dito. Pintura, kasama na," added Guiao. "So gate crasher kami. Nagpa-party sila, pinapasok nila kami sa gate. E, di magpa-party na rin kami, di ba. Ganun lang yun."
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The Elasto Painters made the gate crashing act possible by twice beating no. 2 seed NLEX Road Warriors in the quarterfinals, including the 103-92 clincher Saturday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Leonard Santillan had a team-high 24 points, nine rebounds, and three block shots to propel the team to its third straight semifinals appearance this season - and fourth overall dating back to last year's Philippine Cup.
Rain or Shine will meet grand slam-seeking TNT for the third straight time in the semis this season, with the Tropang 5G winning both previous matchups in five games.
Guiao knows it's going to be a tough task toppling a team that is aiming for a rare history.
"I think they have a purpose. Mahirap yung kalaban mo na may pinupuntirya talaga na gusto nilang gawin. Pero meron din kaming purpose. So tingnan natin kung sino ang makaka-achieve nung kanilang goal," added the Rain or Shine mentor.
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The best-of-seven semis begins on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.(RG)
