YENG GUIAO will have to prepare his Rain or Shine Elasto Painters as if they are going to war in Game Four of the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup finals on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
A comeback he expects from the Tropang Texters. But what he is bracing for is a series that would be physical the rest of the way.
“The series is getting physical and we just want consistency with the calls. I hope referees won’t let it go out of hand,” Guiao said moments after their 109-97 Game Three victory where Paul Lee lost his front tooth after colliding with the elbow of Talk ‘N Text import Ivan Johnson.
“Delikado na ang nangyayari. Mabuti na lang ngipin lang nawala kay Paul. What if he broke his nose or something more serious? The referees have been letting go of a lot of things,” he added.
Lee, who finished the bruising game with 17 points, tried to stop a driving Johnson in the third quarter but caught the sharp elbow of the Tropang Texters’ burly import that also bloodied his mouth.
Johnson was whistled for an offensive foul in that play and that did not sit well with Guiao.
“Kung sa amin nangyari ‘yan, tatawagan muna ng flagrant foul saka titingnan ang video. Kahit isang flagrant walang tinawag doon sa Talk ‘N Text,” Guiao complained.
“But they did not do that, not even once, even with the kind of roughness they showed, especially their import,” he added.
In Game Two—which the Elasto Painters also won, 116-108—Johnson bumped Guiao at the sideline in one play that netted the American a P150,000 fine.
Immediately after the buzzer sounded ending Game Three, Johnson engaged Rain or Shine guard Ryan Arana into a shouting match at the parking area of the Big Dome and almost came into blows.
Guiao stressed that the referees are treating hard fouls as if they are ordinary contacts.
But Talk ‘N Text Head Coach Jong Uichico stressed the physical confrontations are part and parcel of a championship series.
“It’s championship time. It’s just about ‘finding a way to win,’” said Uichico, who admitted that Rain or Shine simply played better in Game Three.
“It’s just the way the game is. If you back down in the physicality, then you give the upperhand to the other team,” he added.
Image credits: Kevin dela Cruz, Arvin Lim