STUMPED its last time out Rain or Shine tries to pick up the pieces and fan its chances for a modest goal when it takes on TNT KaTropa Sunday in the PBA Commissioner's Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
The KaTropa are looking to close out the 11-game eliminations with a second straight win that would be their eighth in all and give them a shot at a top two finish and a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
At worst, TNT could fall to the middle of the pack, which is still all right since it means a best-of-three assignment in the ensuing round composed of the top eight teams.
More important for KaTropa coach Nash Racela is the continued improvement of his team heading into the tougher battles ahead.
"(We) just want to get better every game, taking advantage of every practice and game to better equip us for the playoffs,"stated Racela.
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Rain or Shine, on the other hand, craves for a victory to avoid falling into either No. 7 or No. 8, which carries with it the handicap of having to win twice over a top two team in the quarters.
"It's a must win for us if we want to have a chance for the top 6," said Elasto Painters coach Caloy Garcia. "TNT is one of the best teams right now and we just have to match their intensity."
The defending champions would not have been in such a bind if not for a 101-107 loss to resurgent GlobalPort only last Friday in a game where the E-Painters wilted in the face of a fiery Terrence Romeo-led windup.
Garcia simply wants his team to do a quick turnaround, regroup and play their best against a TNT crew coming off a come-from-behind win over Alaska last Saturday.
"Coming off a tough loss we just have to bounce back from it," said Garcia.
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Of additional interest would be how Rain or Shine import Duke Crews ranges against TNT counterpart Joshua Smith.
The two bangers have so far been impressive, with Crews averaging 25.5 points and 19.5 rebounds in two games and Smith debuting with 23 points and 10 rebounds versus Alaska despite foul trouble.
Should their respective reinforcements cancel each other out, the local support should prove indispensable with TNT banking mostly on Jayson Castro, Ranidel de Ocampo and Roger Pogoy and Rain or Shine looking mainly at Jericho Cruz, James Yap and Raymond Almazan.
