Are they just keeping it real or is it too much?
The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters had a disappointing start to their campaign in the 42nd William Jones Cup.
On Saturday, the team representing the Philippines suffered a 98-79 defeat against one of the host squads in Chinese Taipei-A. Andrei Caracut scored 18 points for Rain or Shine while reinforcement Ange Kouame tallied 15 points and 16 rebounds. His fellow import Nick Evans chipped in 14 markers and 11 boards. Despite the trio’s decent effort, the Elasto Painters failed to overcome a disastrous first quarter wherein they got outscored by 17 points, 40-23.
After the game, the Yeng Guiao-mentored crew received a lot of heated comments from Filipino basketball fans.
Facebook user Dennis Cargo Acupan virtually blamed Coach Yeng for the setback.
“Skills mayroon ang Pinoy ballers. Coaching ang nagpapababa sa skills,” he posted.
For netizen JanBers Tecson, some of the rules in the PBA have contributed to Rain or Shine’s unfamiliarity against international competition.
“Mahina talaga ang PBA. Inuna pa kasi ‘yung height limit rule kaya ‘pag dating sa international nganga. Kasi ang mga PBA ball club hindi sanay sa matatangkad na competition,” wrote Tecson.
He might be referring to the problems Rain or Shine had against Chinese Taipei’s 6-foot-11 naturalized player William Artino. The towering cager had 23 points and 9 rebounds for the victors.
Facebook user Angelo Santos was a little bit more circumspect, pointing to the fact the ROS is just one pro ballclub going against a national selection.
“Siyempre national team 'yan, what to expect," Santos wrote.
Of course, there were still those who chose to remain positive. Speaking on behalf of them was Russell Blacer.
“Nice try, ROS. Puso pa rin. Kahit hindi malakas ang lineup nila, maganda pa rin ang pinakita nila. Kudos to Rain or Shine,” said Blacer.
Maybe he was pertaining to the rally that the Elasto Painters made in the fourth period. The PBA team got it going in the final frame, resulting in a 30-16 run to end the game.
Despite the initial downer, Coach Yeng and his crew are up to the challenge. At 5 p.m. today, Sunday, they will have a chance to silence their critics as Rain or Shine takes on Chinese Taipei-B.
(GM)