Garcia commends Elasto Painters’ efforts despite loss

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia shrugged off his team’s first defeat in the 2017 PBA Commissioner’s Cup in a game where the the Elasto Painters fired blanks en route to an 89-93 loss to Meralco.

“We knew that they won’t going to give us any three-point shot, but I told the players at halftime we just have to keep on taking it. And once we keep on making it, it might change the tempo of the game. Unfortunately, we only made four threes,” he said.

The Elasto Painters’ 4-of-32 clip from beyond the arc is just the tip of the iceberg. The team shot a paltry 30-percent from the field and failed to share the rock as the Bolts dominated the assists category, 18-9.

READ: Meralco averts meltdown, holds off Rain or Shine

Garcia believes that had if Rain or Shine made at least two more threes, it would still be toting an undefeated card.

“We had our open looks. If we had made two or three more three-pointers, we could have probably won the game. Maybe that’s the game plan of Meralco — to make us take those kind of shots,” he said.

Still, Garcia was happy to see the way his players battled down low as the Elasto Painters took care of the boards and outrebounded the Bolts, 64-54.

“I liked the effort of the boys in the second half. We battled the boards, we’re able to come back, and we even nearly take the lead, but I think Meralco just executed better,” he said. “We had lapses, but I keep on telling the players that there’s no such thing as perfect defense for four quarters. I like the players’ efforts in the second half and hopefully, we can bring that to our next game.”

Rain or Shine battles unbeaten Alaska on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.