Compton, Guiao use past finals losses differently

Naveen Ganglani

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Compton, Guiao use past finals losses differently
Both Alaska and Rain or Shine enter Game 1 on Friday as owners of losing streaks in PBA championship series

MANILA, Philippines – The PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals between the Alaska Aces and Rain or Shine Elasto Painters might as well be branded as the battle of the bridesmaids. 

Both teams enter Game 1 on Friday, May 6, as owners of losing streaks in PBA championship series. 

Rain or Shine, which won its first and only finals against B-Meg in the 2012 Governors’ Cup, has lost its last 4 championship rounds – the most recent being in 7 games against the Talk ’N Text Tropang Texters during the 2015 Commissioner’s Cup finals.

Alaska, on the other hand, has won 14 PBA titles already and is making its 30th finals appearance, but since winning the 2013 PBA Commissioner’s Cup championship, the Aces have lost 3 straight times in the finals, all against the San Miguel Beermen. 

“I don’t know honestly. I don’t think so,” answered Compton on Thursday during the PBA Finals press conference at the PBA Cafe if past finals losses serve as motivation for his team.

“We try to step into each challenge as a new challenge and embrace it. We don’t try to live in the past. We try to learn from it,” he said.

Since taking over as Alaska’s head coach from Luigi Trillo in the 2014 Governors’ Cup, Compton has made the finals 4 times (including this one) in 6 conferences, but he has yet to win a championship.

“We just value competition,” said Compton. “So I don’t know if I’ll spend a lot of time talking about the last 3 finals before this one. I’ve got to worry about Rain or Shine. That’s enough to worry about.”

While the Alaska coach prefers to use prior defeats as learning experiences, Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao opts to use those losses as a motivating force to win in the present.

“Knowing Coach Yeng, he always reminds the players about the past [because] he doesn’t want it to repeat,” said Elasto Painters assistant coach Caloy Garcia, attending in Guiao’s stead since the coach, who’s also the Governor of Pampanga, was busy campaigning.

“Especially this conference,” Garcia said, “coach reminded the players that last year we lost it by two points in double overtime against Talk ’N Text. Game 7. What else can you ask for?”

Guiao, who’s expected to be present in the first two games of the finals before voting begins on Monday, is aiming for his seventh PBA title.

“Coach Yeng will be saying the same thing to the players,” said Garcia, “cause sometimes you can’t really use it as motivation for other players cause others [weren’t] there at that time, but just a reminder to the players who were there.”

Outside of rookies Maverick Ahanmisi, Don Trollano, and Josan Nimes, plus import Pierre Henderson-Niles and Jewel Ponferada, Rain or Shine has the same team that lost to Talk ’N Text last season. – Rappler.com

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