PBA: Guiao takes the blame for Rain or Shine defeat

The timing felt right for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. They defeated the San Mig Coffee Mixers in dominant fashion to forge a showdown with the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters in the 2012-13 PBA Philippine Cup Finals. Before the start of the series, Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao was confident of his team's chances. Even though their line-up looked inferior on paper and their championship experience paled in comparison to Talk 'N Text's, Guiao felt that they could win against the two-time defending Philippine Cup champions. "All we really want is to hang around," Guiao said in the press conference before the PBA Finals. "If we hang around with them in the final minutes, I think we can work out a win." [Related: 'We tried our best but the referees ruined our chances' - Guiao] For the first three games of the Finals, the Elasto Painters accomplished their goal of hanging around, but in the dying minutes of the games, the Tropang Texters simply made the big plays while his Elasto Painters did not. In game four though, the story was quite different. After Jared Dillinger sank a three to end the third quarter to douse water on a scorching Rain or Shine run, they simply wilted. "It's my fault," admitted Guiao. "I did not prepare them the way they needed to be prepared." [Related: Three-point shots seal Talk 'N Text's third straight Phil. Cup title] For moments in the fourth quarter, the game looked like a coronation, not a competition. Dillinger, Jimmy Alapag, and Ranidel De Ocampo took turns sinking three-point shots while Kally Williams threw down dunk after dunk. The statistics of the series would have suggested a hotly contested four games, not a sweep, between the two teams. The Elasto Painters actually won the battle of the boards, getting 202 while the Tropang Texters only had 197. The Tropang Texters held the advantage in assists giving out 88 compared to only 72 for the Elasto Painters. The two teams also split the hustle statistics with Talk 'N Text getting the edge in steals and Rain or Shine getting more blocks. The only glaring difference in the statistics was in the three-point shooting. For game four, the Tropang Texters converted on 14 triples, while the Elasto Painters only got two. In the series, Talk 'N Text has a 42-to-16 lead in three-point shots for a whopping 78 point difference. The Elasto Painters also had more free throws, sinking 82-of-105 tries while the Tropang Texters made 60-of-75. - AMD, GMA News