Rain or Shine usually turns chaos into a competitive advantage, and few teams in the PBA are better at converting turnovers into easy points and punishing opponents before their defense can get set. Against Converge in Game 1 of their PBA Season 50 Governors' Cup quarterfinal series, however, the Elasto Painters found themselves on the wrong end of that equation.
The FiberXers won the points-off-turnovers battle, 40-13, and outscored Rain or Shine 25-18 on fastbreak points, building a lead that reached 21 points.
With their usual transition offense struggling to make an impact, the Elasto Painters needed another way back into the game. A defensive adjustment helped them close the gap, while Deo Cuajao's shooting provided the spark that turned their recovery into a comeback.
Rain or Shine scored 69 points in the second half to complete a wild 124-120 victory at Smart Araneta Coliseum on Tuesday.
The turnaround began on the defensive end. Cam Clark went 8-for-10 from the field in the first half, but Rain or Shine used Jhonard Clarito and Mike Malonzo to make life more difficult for the Converge import after the break. Their ability to stay in front of Clark and contest his shots disrupted a scorer who had been comfortable in the opening two quarters.
Rain or Shine also made life harder for Converge's guards, Juan Gomez de Liano and Mikey Williams, forcing them into tougher attempts. The pair combined to shoot just 22.2% from the field, as Elasto Painters strung together the stops they needed to cut a 13-point halftime deficit to one entering the fourth quarter.
Those stops gave Rain or Shine a chance to find its rhythm offensively, and Cuajao took full advantage. The guard averaged 10.8 points per game during the eliminations but had shot just 31.3% from three-point range. His confidence, however, remained intact.
Cuajao scored 13 of his 15 points in the third quarter, connecting on three three-pointers and a four-point shot as Rain or Shine seized the momentum. With Converge struggling to contain the rally, his timely shooting gave the Elasto Painters the offensive boost they needed to turn a deficit into a competitive game.
Cuajao was not the only reason the comeback worked. Rain or Shine also found more reliable ways to score in the half court, getting the ball inside to Aaron Fuller before using screens to create opportunities for its perimeter players. Fuller finished with 33 points and 14 rebounds, shooting 68.8% on two-point attempts, while the Elasto Painters made 16 three-pointers at a 50% clip.
That balance mattered.
Fuller gave Converge another threat to account for inside, while Rain or Shine's perimeter shooting punished the defense when it had to protect the paint. For a team accustomed to generating offense in transition, the ability to create good shots in the half court provided another route to victory.
For head coach Yeng Guiao, Cuajao's willingness to take and make those shots was no surprise. The coach had seen that confidence long before the guard arrived in Rain or Shine.
"Kahit nung nasa Letran pa 'yan, sa NC pa 'yan. Kaya namin siya kinuha dahil makapal ang mukha niya," Guiao said.
Converge will need to find a response in Game 2, particularly after struggling to generate efficient offense against Rain or Shine's defensive pressure. But the Elasto Painters have reason for confidence: When their transition game failed to deliver, they found another way to win. Cuajao's third-quarter shooting helped to ignite the comeback, while Fuller's interior scoring and the team's improved half-court execution ensured it was more than a one-player effort.