Yeng Guiao claims that Rain or Shine lost Game 4 of its PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinal playoff matchup against TNT on Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum due to a lack of local scoring and missed calls.

Guiao noted that these elements played a significant role in the 93-85 defeat, which put the Tropang Giga up 3-1 and put the Elasto Painters in danger of losing their best-of-seven series.

Apart from import Deon Thompson, Rain or Shine’s only players to score in double figures were Anton Assistio and Keith Datu, who each finished with eight points to match the Elasto Painters’ game-high 44-point output.

“It’s just too bad that it came na yung locals namin malamig. Si Deon maganda nilaro, naka 44 points siya,” Guiao mentioned.

However, the seasoned coach focused on key calls that went against his team, such as one that didn’t get whistled on Roger Pogoy with 2:56 remaining in the match.

“There was a situation na sa tingin ko would have changed the momentum of the game, the result could have been affected. Hinila ni (Roger) Pogoy si Mamu (Gian Mamuyac), binigyan pa sila ng three points,” he said.

The officials called a foul on Thompson against Kelly Williams instead of seeing the infraction, giving TNT an extra free throw.

The coach of Rain or Shine also brought up what he thought was a traveling call that ought to have been given to Rey Nambatac and an earlier foul on Andrei Caracut that, according to him, also went unnoticed by the referees.

Rain or Shine lost the game by at least 10 points overall, according to Guiao.

“That’s almost 10 points lost doon lang sa bad calls. So kahit na malamig yung locals namin, kung nakuha lang namin yung tawag na dapat para sa amin, we would probably had the chance to win the game,” he added.

Officials acknowledge their error

League officials acknowledged making errors on the calls, Guiao added.

But according to Guiao, these are the game’s breaks.

With 26 points, Calvin Oftana spearheaded TNT’s offensive assault, while the Tropang Giga shut down Rain or Shine star guard Adrian Nocum after they were held to a conference-low four points to advance to the finals once more.

With a victory in Game 5 on Friday at the Big Dome, TNT, the Governors’ Cup champions from the previous conference, can secure another trip to the finals.

With 44 points, Deon Thompson led Rain or Shine in the battle, but the locals didn’t help him much, and the Elasto Painters lost the best-of-seven series 3-1.
After hitting 7 of 21 from the field in the previous two games, Oftana was able to break out of his shooting slump in Game 4 by making 12 of his 21 shots.

While Rondae Hollis-Jefferson contributed 17 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and two blocks for the Tropang Giga, who won their first game since Jayson Castro was sidelined for the season due to a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee, RR Pogoy finished with 22 points and four rebounds while playing defense against Nocum in Game 4.

Keith Datu and Anton Asistio led the Elasto Painters in local scoring with eight points each. Their team lost by as much as 11 points, 62-51, in the third period and spent most of the game playing catch-up.

Compared to his 16-point performance in Game 3, Nocum only made 1 of 7 field goals. In addition, he committed four turnovers, including a crucial one with two and a half minutes remaining when he failed to take a driving lay-up and instead made a poor pass to nobody.

The Scores

TNT 93 – Oftana 26, Pogoy 22, Hollis-Jefferson 17, Nambatac 12, Aurin 9, Erram 4, Williams 3, Khobuntin 0, Razon 0, Heruela 0.

Rain or Shine 85 – Thompson 44, Asistio 8, Datu 8, Caracut 6, Tiongson 6, Clarito 5, Mamuyac 4, Nocum 4, Norwood 0, Santillan 0.

Quarter scores: 26-21; 53-43; 73-67; 93-85.