MANILA: Rain or Shine is off to its finest start in franchise history.
And the better news is, the Elasto Painters haven’t shown that great a need for Gabe Norwood to take over.
The Elasto Painters got baskets from practically everyone last night and went 2-0 for a tie for the early lead in the PBA Philippine Cup after starting out hot and holding off a game Red Bull crew, 96-91, in the eliminations at the Cuneta Astrodome.
Norwood, the first overall pick in the draft and widely considered the saviour of this team, scored 11 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and had three blocks in the convincing win that followed a 120-102 ripping of Air21 last week.
It was just the second time that the Painters, who were known as the whipping boy Welcoat Dragons for two years, won back-to-back games. And it put Rain or Shine into a share of the early lead with idle Talk ‘N Text.
The Tropang Texters also notched a second straight win Thursday night by nipping n undermanned Air21 side that played without Arwind Santos and Homer Se, 112-101, at the Ynares Sports Center in Pasig .
“We’re playing like a family more than a team,” Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia said.
Rain or Shine, which picked up three talented guards in the draft, also defeated Red Bull for the first time in its PBA existence. The Barako, the only team in the field that didn’t undergo a manpower buildup in the off-season, lost for the second straight game.
Norwood elected to get his teammates more involved than go for personal glory and statistics, passing up on a number of opportunities against the Barako, who trailed by 24 points at one time in the second quarter.
Proof of this was the fact that six Painters finished in twin digits and all 10 players that Garcia utilized contributed offensively making Rain or Shine look like a contender with every game.
Ryan Arana and TY Tang also played big for the Painters, with Arana hitting two triples that doused the first of a series of Red Bull fightbacks in the third period.
Tang, the third rookie guard in the team out of collegiate power La Salle, had his chance to shine in the fourth and also hit two straight treys that snuffed the life out of the Barako,
“It was our first time to beat Red Bull and this is definitely special,” Garcia added. “It (win) also gives us some momentum since we will be playing San Miguel next.”
Good thing that Garcia mentioned the Beermen, who flexed their full might later on and smothered pre-tournament favorite Purefoods to smithereens, 111-98, in the second game before a stunned Friday crowd.
San Miguel, which further bolstered its stock by acquiring Mick Pennisi from Red Bull and Jay Washington from Talk ‘N Text, led by as many as 39 points on the way to the very lopsided win, which took on some color in the closing minute.
Washington and Purefoods’ superstar gunslinger James Yap got into an argument at center court and almost came to blows, prompting management of Purefoods, including team manager Alvin Patrimonio, to exchange words with the San Miguel forward.
