Yeng Guiao believes Rain or Shine must stretch the series to beat TNT after Game 3 win

The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters kept their hopes of reaching the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup finals alive by defeating the TNT Tropang Giga, 107–86, in Game 3 of the semifinals on Sunday, June 29, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

This was a crucial win for Rain or Shine, which had lost the first two games of the best-of-seven semifinal series. Elasto Painters head coach Yeng Guiao acknowledged that their best chance of advancing is to stretch the series as long as possible.

“Our best chance is to make this series long. If it becomes a short series, we will lose. So at least we won today. We know it’s going to be five games. If we win again, it’s going to be six games. So our best chance is really to stretch this series out,” Guiao said during the post-match press conference.

Notably, this marks the third consecutive conference in which Rain or Shine has faced TNT in the semifinals—and they’ve consistently struggled against their rivals. In the Season 49 Governors’ Cup, TNT defeated the Elasto Painters 4–1, then repeated the same outcome in the Commissioner’s Cup. TNT went on to win the championship in both tournaments and is now eyeing a rare Grand Slam.

Guiao admitted that despite their breakthrough victory, overcoming TNT remains extremely difficult—even in the absence of star import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson in this all-Filipino conference.

Rain or Shine’s Anton Asistio and coach Yeng Guiao after winning Game 3 over TNT. | @MeloFuertesINQ

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“They are very competitive, very disciplined. It’s like facing a double-barrel shotgun: Roger Pogoy and Calvin Oftana. Their sheer talent can take over a game. They’re still so strong. People say that without RHJ, they’ll be easier to beat. That’s not true — they’re still very tough. At least we were able to make it 2–1,” he added.

There’s growing confidence within the Rain or Shine camp that their Game 3 win could serve as a turning point in the series.

“We’ll try to break that pattern. Wednesday is the big game. We feel that if we can break through — because in the past, it’s always been 4–1 — at least now we’ve matched that. If we win on Wednesday, that means we’ve improved. Let’s see if we can get there,” Guiao concluded.

The pivotal Game 4 between Rain or Shine and TNT takes place on Wednesday, July 2, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

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