Rain or Shine looks to finally hurdle obstacle to title run

Rain or Shine Elasto Painters’ Jaylen Johnson during a game vs Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings in the 2026 PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

The PBA semifinals has been a familiar destination for Rain or Shine over the past two years—they just haven’t gone past that.

But in Wednesday’s Game 1 win over Barangay Ginebra has given Adrian Nocum and the Elasto Painters the belief that the core they had been slowly building and cultivating under coach Yeng Guiao can finally get over the proverbial hump.

“That has been the biggest thing for us,” Nocum told the Inquirer, praising the Guiao system as Rain or Shine goes for a 2-0 lead in their Commissioner’s Cup Final Four series on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Tipoff is at 5:15 p.m. as the Elasto Painters hope to close in on a spot in the championship round—something they have failed to claim in four previous trips to the semifinals.

Rain or Shine took the opener, 115-111, at Ynares Center in Antipolo after rallying from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter, where import Jaylen Johnson and Jhonard Clarito were firing on all cylinders. The Painters paired that effort with defensive gems and timely plays from Nocum and Gian Mamuyac to fuel a mighty finish.

Top scorers

Johnson finished with 40 points and 19 rebounds and Clarito had 25 points.

It was Rain or Shine’s first victory in Game 1 of a semifinal series since the 2019 Philippine Cup, as all the series openers against San Miguel Beer (2024 Philippine Cup) and TNT (2024 Governors’ Cup, 2024-25 Commissioner’s Cup and 2025 Philippine Cup) ended in defeats.

Last independent champ

The Elasto Painters haven’t been to the Finals since winning it all back in the 2016 Commissioner’s Cup, the last time an independent ballclub ruled a PBA conference. Nocum and the young core need three more wins to break that spell.

“Almost everyone on the team is the same age and as we go down the path of wanting to achieve our goal, it’s still the same group,” Nocum said in Filipino. “So it will be huge for us if we could get to the Finals, hopefully, because we will mature a lot.”

To get there, they’ll have to go through more hardships against a Ginebra side that carries loads of experience and the always-advantageous crowd support. If Game 1 was hard, Nocum expects Game 2 to be harder.

“[W]e know they’ll be scouting us and they’ll make necessary adjustments,” the third-year product of Mapua said. “But of course, we need to put in more effort for us to win.”

Meanwhile, TNT will likewise seek a 2-0 lead over sister team Meralco in the other semis series at 7:30 p.m.

The Tropang 5G secured a 94-89 win in Wednesday’s other semis opener, with the locals leading the charge and provided ample support for their celebrated import Bol Bol.

Meralco, however, is keen on squaring the series after two games, with import Marvin Jones expected to pose problems once again for TNT.