Rain or Shine import Aaron Fuller.–PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines—Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao kept it simple when he was asked about import Aaron Fuller’s value to the Elasto Painters after they advanced to the PBA Governors’ Cup semifinals.
Following Rain or Shine’s 113-103 win over Magnolia in Game 5 to finish off the best-of-five quarterfinals series, Fuller turned in another sensational outing to power Guiao and company to the next round.
“Aaron’s value is simple, we would not be here if not for him,” said Guiao at Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo on Saturday night.
READ: PBA: Rain or Shine eliminates Magnolia, faces TNT in semis
“Magnolia’s defense was clamping down on him, double, triple team and sometimes the whole team was around him… He held his emotions under check and he’s a silent leader. doesn’t talk much but his actions speak for himself. He just works hard.”
Fuller finished just a rebound shy of a double-double with 26 points and nine rebounds plus two steals for good measure.
The American reinforcement got the final say in his duel with the Hotshots’ Jabari Bird, who collected 23 points and 15 rebounds.
Fuller’s efforts in the decider also made up for his absence in Game 2 due to an eye injury.
Fully recovered, Fuller was back to asserting his dominance for Rain or Shine.
READ: PBA: Fuller inspires Rain or Shine to crucial OT win in Game 3
“It was a battle and it just shows how much heart our team has,” said Fuller.
“We did a great job coming up with defense for today’s game, we just went out and left it out on the court,” he added.
Despite the win, though, Fuller and the rest of the Elasto Painters know that there’s still much work to be done.
Especially since they will be up against the mighty TNT Tropang Giga in the semis.
“[I’m] so proud of the guys, we’ll enjoy this, take some rest but we have some more work to do.”