James Yap. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
After trades seen by many to have weakened the team, and with an import that is not putting up monster numbers compared to the others, Rain or Shine roared to a third straight win on Sunday night in the PBA Governors’ Cup at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Elasto Painters held Star to its fewest output in the conference and pulled off a 92-88 victory as they continued to climb up the standings, ironically, after trading away a veteran superstar and a blue-chip rookie.
“Since we made the trades, we became the No. 1 defensive team,” Garcia said after the Painters rose to 4-2 while dealing a first loss in five starts on the Hotshots.
“The [defensive] effort is there. When we play good defense, the offense comes.”
In the nightcap, NLEX earned at least a tie for a quarterfinal slot with a 103-100 triumph over San Miguel Beer.
The Painters battle the Grand Slam-seeking Beermen next, and even with J’Nathan Bullock not dominating any department, Garcia believes he has the perfect import that will take the team deep into the tournament.
Gabe Norwood and Raymond Almazan returned to duty after serving the country in the Fiba Asia Cup in Lebanon and finished with a combined 28 points, 25 rebounds and seven assists.
Despite being under the weather, Almazan forced himself to play and won Player of the Game honors with 13 points and 14 rebounds in less than 19 minutes. He was wheeled out of the dugout on a stretcher and taken to a hospital after the match.