PBA: Darkhorse contenders Rain or Shine have Petron Blaze right where they want them

If you haven’t noticed, there is a different kind of vibe in the 2013-14 PBA Philippine Cup semifinals matchup between the Petron Blaze Boosters and the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.

Away from the prying eyes, hype and madness that comes to define every Manila Clasico battle between San Mig Coffee and Barangay Ginebra, this Elasto Painters versus Boosters matchup has come to be defined by hard-nosed basketball, with flying elbows and rugged play on both ends.

Petron was comfortably ahead in game two of their series entering the fourth quarter, and was looking to tie-up the series. Maybe some opposing teams would’ve thrown in the towel, and would have been happy splitting the two games, making it a best-of-five series. After all, Petron’s stars, namely June Mar Fajardo, Marcio Lassiter, Arwind Santos and Alex Cabagnot were firing on all cylinders. Let’s pack it up, go home and back to the drawing board.

Other teams would have thought about that. But not many teams are like Rain or Shine.

Instead of lying down, RoS decided to get up from the canvass swinging. They kept plugging away, chipping at that once-imposing 13-point lead, getting it down to single digits. Every player contributed, whether it was Jeff Chan, Gabe Norwood, Beau Belga or rookie Raymond Almazan. They stayed true to Coach Yeng Guiao’s strategy, “Tinira nila kung libre sila.”

[Related: Rain or Shine storms back to notch 2-0 lead on Petron]

When June Mar Fajardo confronted Larry Rodriguez and decided he had had enough of the Elasto Painters' physical defense, they smelled blood, like Bruce from Finding Nemo. Instead of kneeling to the Kraken, they went in for the kill. Their strategy of getting the Big Fella in foul trouble was led by Beau Belga’s attacks to the rim, and multiple defensive strategies left Fajardo confused as to what was facing him in his offensive sets.

With Jeff Chan leading the offensive charge by launching bombs from the three-point line, Gabe Norwood was locked in defending Alex Cabagnot, who was responsible for the third quarter surge of Petron. Using his long arms and internationally renowned defensive instincts, he made life difficult for Cabagnot, and in so doing, stymied the offensive sets of Petron.

But Norwood saved his best for last. With the Boosters on the ropes and Rain or Shine surging, Norwood sank a corner triple, turned to the few devoted fans of Rain or Shine and mean-mugged to the crowd. Before Petron knew what had hit them, Rain or Shine had seized advantage with a 23-6 run.

And before Petron could respond, they found themselves down 0-2. Their impressive season, now in jeopardy.

The script has never changed for Rain or Shine. Coach Yeng Guiao knows no other way to win but to win together and with heads held high. With impressive rookies in Alex Nuyles, Jeric Teng and Raymond Almazan lending depth to an already 10-deep squad, Rain or Shine is looking to kick butt and take names all the way to the Finals. These guys don’t care who stands opposed to them. All they care about is having each other’s backs, sticking together and letting those elbows fly.

As I was wrapping up this story, an officemate came over to chat with me while having lunch. A die-hard Ginebra fan, she asked me what was going on with “that other” series, referring to Petron-Rain or Shine.

“Wala kasi akong kilala sa kanila! Alam ko lang na malakas ang Petron, e bakit down na sila 0-2?”

I had a smile on my face, but no answer to give her. It’s difficult to put into words the desire of Ryan Araña to keep his team alive despite an injured ankle in the third quarter. It’s impossible to describe how Paul Lee blows by defenders even though he’s probably wider than Arwind and Cabagnot combined. There’s no answer to that, and the reality is that Petron is still searching for answers as well.

The best-kept secret of the PBA is threatening to blow up all the best-laid plans of other dreamers in the Association. While Rain or Shine continues to dare to dream, they’re turning other team’s dreams into nightmares.

Away from the spotlight, on their own terms. - AMD, GMA News