YENG Guiao knows the just-concluded quarterfinal series win over Magnolia offers tons of lessons that will only serve his Rain or Shine players in good stead as they advance to the PBA Season 49 Governors' Cup semifinal series against TNT.
Ranged against playoff-tested Magnolia veterans Paul Lee, Mark Barroca, Ian Sangalang and Calvin Abueva, all who have won at least one PBA championship in their pro careers, the younger Rain or Shine side gutted it out en route to beating the Hotshots, 113-103, in their winner-take-all match on Saturday to win the series, 3-2.
"It was a big lesson we learned from that (series against) Magnolia," said Guiao during the post-game talk with media at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. "We are a young team. And to beat Magnolia in Game 5 where everything is at stake, and every time they beat us, they beat us soundly, just for those situations, anyone could have lost the will to win because they could just easily beat you by a big margin.
The Elasto Painters' twin losses in the series included a 52-point margin in Game 2, and 29-point beating in Game 4. Still, Guiao said he was proud of the fact that his wards gave their all against a playoff-tested Magnolia team that led by 12 points early in the first period of Game 5.
"They gave it their all. I told them, play this game (Game 5) for yourselves, for your teammates, for your family, it will go a long way in building your reputation, and building your respect for yourself," he stressed.
More importantly, the fiery RoS coach reminded his players to observe how Lee, Barroca, Sangalang and Abueva play, noting that these four Magnolia veterans could help them in improving their game further.
"The lessons they learned from Paul, Mark Barroca, these are veterans who know what to do (in the playoffs). And they also learned a lot from those two, Ian and Calvin," he added.
"I told them, watch how they play, because their game is already very refined. You will learn from them. If you can beat them, the better. They learned a lot from these Magnolia players," said Guiao, whose team reached the semifinals for the second straight conference.
In the Philippine Cup last season, RoS made it to the Final Four the first time under Guiao since the outspoken mentor returned to the franchise in 2022.
