A BAD loss to Barangay Ginebra at the start of their PBA Commissioner's Cup semi-final series did nothing to dampen Rain or Shine's collective spirit.
In fact, coach Caloy Garcia said his Elasto Painters are even more upbeat going to the re-scheduled Game 2 of their best-of-five duel with the Kings Thursday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
"We remain positive and understand it's just a matter of exerting more effort and being more disciplined," said Garcia on the eve of the match.
Ginebra took the series opener 102-89 last Sunday in a game where it started out hot for an early 18-point spread before fending off Rain or Shine's second half uprisings.
The game was supposed to be played out Tuesday, but the league's concern for the safety of the players and fans due to the inclement weather forced the re-scheduling.
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According to Garcia, the respite is one his team welcomes, but so should Ginebra.
"Basically, I think it works for both sides because Japeth (Aguilar) gets (more time) to heal while we had more practices than going to the first game," explained Garcia.
Aguilar suited up but did not see action in the opener due to a left Achilles injury he suffered in the quarterfinals-clinching game against Meralco last Wednesday. He remains a game-time decision tonight.
Rain or Shine also had just two days of practices, one less than Ginebra, before Game 1 after getting forced into a rubber match by GlobalPort in their separate quarterfinals duel.
Like their foes, the E-Painters spent the additional one-day break to fine-tune their game after watching their lapses in the opener.
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"It's more of lack of effort and hindi lang ganoon ka-consistent," offered Garcia.
"We were able to come back from an 18-point deficit, cut it down to four, but then it seems na naggigil. Kaya kailangan pa namin konting disiplina sa offense, kasi nga parang nawawalan kami ng pasensya.
"We were all able to see it on video and we have made the adjustments."
In Game 1, Ginebra import Justin Brownlee dished off a masterful, near-triple double performance of 35 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists.
That is to be expected, according to Garcia. "Brownlee will be Brownlee, a great import," he said.
"He does a lot of things for Ginebra. He can play big, he can play small. It's really difficult to match up against him. But I feel naman from time to time we were able to do a good job," added Garcia, before also saying Ginebra has other weapons.
"Basically, if we focus too much on Brownlee, baka papatayin pa kami ng iba," Garcia pointed out.
Foremost among those Kings who should merit attention is Jeff Chan, who came up with his best game yet in a Ginebra uniform last Sunday with 21 points, four rebounds and two assists.
"Malaking bagay si Jeff," noted Garcia. "He gives Ginebra more scoring punch from the outside."
