The way Rain or Shine played in the second half provided enough reasons for the Elasto Painters to keep believing they can beat Barangay Ginebra in their best-of-five semifinals series.
“We can beat them,” said Rain or Shine big man Beau Belga in Filipino. “We were down by 20 in the fourth quarter and we came back so we know that we can beat them if we really want to.”
But Belga also knows it’s not that simple.
READ: Ginebra averts meltdown, beats Rain or Shine to close in on finals spot
“We just can’t afford to fall behind by 20 or more. We strived but it’s just really hard to win if you’re down that big.”
Getting off to a good start will be one of Rain or Shine’s top priorities in a do-or-die Game 4 on Monday night.
“We kept it close last game and we survived in the end. We just need to fix our start and hopefully, our coaching staff will be able to make a good game plan,” said Belga, who had six points, six rebounds, and four assists in 20 minutes off the bench.
READ: Yap’s clutch heroics lift Rain or Shine past Ginebra for tied series
“I’m happy with the way we performed in the second half but really, I was a bit disappointed because we’ve had a bad start for the last three games,” ROS head coach Caloy Garia said. “We have to find a way to start better to keep us in the game earlier and maybe have a chance.”
Garcia said his team remains upbeat heading into Game 4 following a gutsy performance in the last two quarters where they outscored the Gin Kings, 49-29.
“We’re confident. After the way we played in the second half that gave us at least confidence that we just have to watch what we did in the second half.”