RAIN or Shine has already proven its character and toughness in the PBA Philippine Cup, even managing a No. 2 finish at the end of the eliminations.
More challenges await the Elasto Painters, starting with the equally-bristling Meralco Bolts in their quarterfinals matchup Saturday that is expected to be an explosive affair at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
By virtue of its elims finish Rain or Shine needs to win only once to hurdle its seventh-seeded opponents and realize a fifth straight semifinals stint against either TNT or Magnolia.
For its part, Meralco aims to force a decider and make a grand return to the Final Four like what it did during the 2023-24 edition of the same tournament when it went on to win its first-ever PBA title.
No wonder the combatants expect an encounter whose intensity should at least match that of their lone elims meeting last Oct. 11.
In that game, the Bolts could practically do little when the E-Painters grittily fought back from 16 points down to force overtime before eking out a 96-95 thriller in their season debut.
“We found a way. I think that's character,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao right after that match. “You know you have a good team that despite everything not going in your way, you still found a way to win."
The E-Painters would go on to showcase their resolve when they mustered a couple of winning streaks, the last a three-game run capped by victories over Converge and Magnolia, before just missing out on the No. 1 ranking with a narrow loss to Barangay Ginebra last Nov. 17.
Still, Guiao was clearly satisfied by his charges’ showing in those games which he termed as “tests of toughness” for his crew that should help brace them for the tougher grind ahead.
Meralco is also a far different now than in that first meeting, however.
After having to play their first five games over an 11-day period and then throwing in their campaign in the EASL, the Bolts found themselves with a 3-4 record before managing to win three straight out of their last four assignments to make it past the playoffs.
One player sure to be under the microscope is Luis Villegas, who will finally be suiting up for Rain or Shine after sitting out a vast majority of the last three seasons due to knee injuries and surgery.
Hopefully, the No. 3 overall pick in the Season 48 Draft can make up for the continued sidelining of the injured Keith Datu and help the E-Painters battle the Bolts’ Brandon Bates, Raymond Almazan and Cliff Hodge up front.
