RAIN or Shine shoots for the outright no. 1 spot in the PBA Commissioner's Cup quarterfinals as it battles Meralco in the first game of a playoffs-atmosphere doubleheader set Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Elasto Painters carry with them a five-game winning streak heading into the 4:30 p.m.. showdown with the Bolts, and another victory meant clinching the top seed in the next round for a twice-to-beat advantage against the no. 8 ballclub.
It further helped the cause of the Elasto Painters that they will be up against a Bolts team that would be just 48 hours remove from losing a crucial game against TnT Katropa, 91-85, that hampered their bid for a top two finish heading into the quarterfinals.
At 8-1, Rain or Shine is currently alone on top, while Meralco shares third place with TnT at 7-3. The Elasto Painters' five-game win run also makes them the hottest team in the tournament after Alaska saw its seven straight victories come to an end following an 89-74 loss to the Bolts the last time.
While the Elasto Painters are winning closely-fought games lately as had been the case against Phoenix a week ago, 108-106, they can't always play that way and expect the same result.
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"I just keep reminding the players that even though we're on top, it's still difficult because we've been winning games that are close," he said.
"So we need to get better in every game."
Meralco's loss to TnT also stopped its winning streak at four, although the team still has a good shot of finishing at the top 2 should it beat the Elasto Painters in its final game in the eliminations.
Coach Norman Black lamented the Bolts' lack of energy in the setback against the Katropa, but nonetheless remains upbeat about clinching a possible twice-to-beat advantage in the playoffs.
"We didn't play with the same energy that we played with in the four wins and it showed," he said of the loss to the Katropa.
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"They (Katropa) were quicker than us. I think they won the hustle stats by a pretty good margin and can't expect to have a low energy and expect to win in the PBA," added Black. "Fortunately for us, we've had high energy for the majority of this conference." (RG)
