The Rain or Shine comeback in Game 1 of the PBA quarterfinals did not start with a set play or a veteran's speech. It started with a rookie guard who kept shooting. Deo Cuajao scored 13 points in the third quarter, hitting all three of his attempts from beyond the arc, as the Elasto Painters erased a 21-point deficit to beat Converge 124-120 and take a 1-0 lead in their best-of-five series.
Rain or Shine trailed 68-55 at the break and had spent the first half watching the FiberXers convert mistakes into extra possessions. The third quarter changed the shape of the game entirely, with the Elasto Painters putting together a 42-point barrage that turned a comfortable Converge lead into a contest again.
Rain or Shine comeback turns on Cuajao's third quarter
Cuajao's value in that stretch was less about volume than timing. All three of his three-point attempts in the frame went in, and the 13 points he produced gave Rain or Shine the scoring burst it had been missing while Converge controlled the first two quarters.
The Letran product is in his first year with the Elasto Painters, and he arrived with a specific reputation. He was part of the Letran side that reached the NCAA Season 101 finals against rival San Beda University, a run that put him in high-pressure games before he ever played a PBA quarterfinal.
That background is the reason Rain or Shine drafted him, according to head coach Yeng Guiao, who framed Cuajao's contribution as a personality trait rather than a hot streak.
Yeng Guiao on Deo Cuajao and the nerve to keep shooting
"Makapal talaga mukha niyan," Guiao said of Cuajao, a Filipino phrase that translates roughly to having plenty of nerve or a thick face.
"Kahit nung nasa Letran pa 'yan sa NCAA. Kaya namin siya kinuha dahil makapal ang mukha niya." In English: even when he was at Letran in the NCAA, that was already true. That is why we got him, because he had the nerve.
The comment is not a criticism. In Guiao's framing, a first-year guard who keeps taking open shots after a team falls behind by 21 is an asset, not a risk, and the coaching staff had already identified that trait before the draft.
What went wrong for Rain or Shine in the first half
The comeback only became necessary because of how badly the first two quarters went. Rain or Shine shot 19-of-33 from the field in the first half, gave up 14 offensive rebounds and committed 13 turnovers, and Converge used those extra chances to build a lead that reached 21 points.
Guiao described the problem as a direct trade-off between turnovers and the running game his team wants to play. "This is really the way we play, 'yung second half namin," he said. "'Yung first half namin, gusto naming tumakbo pero hindi ka makakatakbo kung mag-gi-give up ka ng 14 offensive rebounds, hindi ka rin makakatakbo kung magtuturn over ka ng bola."
He put the cost in plain terms: giving up 27 total extra possessions to the other team means losing 27 possessions of your own. "Even if you want to run, kung turnover ka nang turnover, hindi ka makakatakbo. Nu'ng second half naayos na namin." In English: even if you want to run, if you keep turning the ball over, you will not be able to. In the second half, we fixed it.
Series position and what to watch in Game 2
The result puts Rain or Shine ahead 1-0 in a best-of-five quarterfinal, which matters more than the margin. A 21-point comeback win gives the Elasto Painters the series lead and forces Converge to respond in Game 2, where a second loss would leave the FiberXers facing elimination.
The open question is whether the first-half pattern repeats. Rain or Shine's running game depends on defensive rebounding and ball security, and both failed badly before the break. If Converge again generates extra possessions, the Elasto Painters may not have another 42-point quarter available to cover the gap.
For Cuajao, the test is different. A 13-point quarter built on three made threes will draw more defensive attention, and how he handles that attention will say more about his rookie season than one hot stretch did.
The original report on Guiao's comments and Cuajao's third quarter was published by gmanetwork.com.
