The Converge FiberXers are one win away from their first PBA semifinal appearance, but the club is treating a 2-1 quarterfinal lead over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters as unfinished business. The Converge FiberXers semifinal berth is not yet secured, and both coach and players said as much after Game 2.
Converge won Game 2, 105-89, after Rain or Shine drew first blood in the opener of the best-of-five PBA Governors' Cup quarterfinal series. Game 4 is scheduled for Friday evening at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Converge FiberXers semifinal berth within reach
The franchise is on the cusp of its first semifinal round since it entered the league. The winner of the series will face the NLEX Road Warriors in the next round, according to the report.
That is the outline of the opportunity. The Converge camp, however, spent the post-Game 2 interview describing the danger rather than the prize.
Delta Pineda says the series is far from done
Converge head coach Delta Pineda said the result in Game 2 owed something to fortune, and pointed to Rain or Shine's outside shooting as a factor that could change.
"No. Maybe we just got lucky, we got it through prayers. Their outside shooting just didn't go in," he said.
Pineda added that preparation would not change because of the lead.
"So we still need to prepare, the game is not over yet. [We] expect more from Rain or Shine on the next game," he added.
Juan Gomez-de Liano says Converge will not settle
Juan Gomez-de Liano offered a different emphasis, describing a personal edge and a team standard that he said would not drop with a 2-1 advantage.
"I always come out with a chip on my shoulder. So I think us being up now 2-1, we're not gonna settle for less," Gomez-de Liano said.
"We know the capabilities of our team, our potential as one unit. I hope we just do the right things," he added.
He also described the style Pineda has asked for: ball movement, stops and transition.
"We continue to move the ball, get stops, we run. That's the kind of playing style that Gov [Pineda] is trying to let us play."
Analysis: what a 2-1 lead does and does not settle
This section is analysis, not reported fact. Pineda's caution and Gomez-de Liano's confidence are not contradictory. A coach protecting a young roster from complacency and a player voicing belief can both be accurate readings of the same 2-1 series.
The available record does not include Game 3 statistics, so it is not possible to say from this report whether Converge's lead reflects a sustained shooting gap or a single cold night for Rain or Shine. Pineda's own account leans toward the second explanation, which is why he framed Game 4 as a fresh problem.
What to watch in Game 4
Two things are documented. Converge can close the series and reach the semifinals with a win on Friday. Rain or Shine, which opened the series with a victory, has already shown it can take a game from this matchup.
Whether the Elasto Painters' outside shooting returns is the variable Pineda himself raised. Converge's response — the ball movement and defensive stops Gomez-de Liano described — is the counter the FiberXers have named.
The original report was published by philstar.com.
