PBA: Yeng Guiao says losing streak served purpose as wake-up call

Rain or Shine Elastopainters’ coach Yeng Guiao during a PBA Commissioner’s Cup game. –PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines—Instead of just moving on from Rain or Shine’s two-game losing streak, coach Yeng Guiao highlighted the importance of the Elasto Painters’ most recent slump.

Rain or Shine got over the hump after defeating streaky Northport, 127-107, at Philsports Arena on Thursday, but Guiao still emphasized that the Elasto Painters’ past two games served their purpose as a “wake up call.”

READ: PBA: Rain or Shine knocks NorthPort from top spot with big win

“We weren’t as determined. Maybe having a losing streak was a good thing for us,” said Guiao in Filipino.

“It’s a wake-up call and it’s a way to reset your mindset so it benefited us.”

Before the Elasto Painters’ dominant showing at the expense of the Batang Pier, the squad absorbed two gut-wrenching losses–a 93-91 heartbreaker at the hands of Phoenix and a 103-96 loss to Converge.

Rain or Shine import Deon Thompson during a PBA Commissioner’s Cup game. –PBA IMAGES

In response, the Elasto Painters bounced back by  taking down league’s emerging juggernaut Northport in dominant fashion.

Deon Thompson led the way for Rain or Shine with a double-double of 27 and 11 rebounds but Adrian Nocum led the way for the locals with a near triple-double of 16 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.

READ: PBA: Converge frustrates Rain or Shine; Yeng Guiao ejected in loss

With the win, Guiao and company inched closer to their goal of notching seven wins to put them in a safe place during the playoff race.

“I’m trying to see how far this takes us. Like I said before, we’re already at six wins but we’re chasing seven, just so we can be sure of a quarters spot,” Guiao said.

Getting there would be far from a cakewalk as their next assignment would be no less than the crowd favorite,Ginebra.

“This is a big help. To arrest a losing skid is really a morale booster and we need a lot of that especially when our team faces Ginebra,” said the veteran tactician.

“It’s good for us to have a six-day break. We’ll take a little break, recover and have lots of time to prepare for the Ginebra game,” he added.

The Elasto Painters clash with Ginebra on Wednesday at Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo.