Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao on Deo Cuajao's guts: 'Makapal talaga mukha niyan' - GMA Network

Deo Cuajao on Tuesday showed exactly why Rain or Shine picked him in the draft, playing with the kind of guts and confidence that allowed the Elasto Painters to roar back from 21 points down en route to a 124-120 win over Converge.

The Letran product caught fire during Rain or Shine’s 42-point third-quarter barrage, knocking down all three of his attempts from beyond the arc to pour in 13 points in the frame and spark the comeback bid as Rain or Shine stole Game 1 of their best-of-five quarterfinals showdown.

Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao, though, was not the least bit surprised with the way his first-year guard has been proving his worth in the team.

"Makapal talaga mukha niyan," Guiao said.

"Kahit nung nasa Letran pa 'yan sa NCAA. Kaya namin siya kinuha dahil makapal ang mukha niya."

(He really has the nerve... Even when he was in Letran in the NCAA. That's why we got him, because he had the nerve.)

Cuajao came to Rain or Shine rescue when nothing was going right for the club.

Aside from shooting just 19-of-33 from the field in the first half, the Elasto Painters also gave up 14 offensive rebounds and had 13 turnovers in the first two quarters. Those allowed the FiberXers to lead by as much as 21 and seize a 68-55 lead into the break.

But Cuajao, who was part of the Letran team that reached the NCAA Season 101 finals against rival San Beda University, took charge in the third and detonated from deep to help Rain or Shine flip the switch.

"This is really the way we play, 'yung second half namin. '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," Guiao said.

"Giving up 27 total extra possession sa kabila means you lose 27 extra possessions. Even if you want to run, kung turnover ka nang turnover, hindi ka makakatakbo. Nu'ng second half naayos na namin."

(This is really the way we play, that second half. In the first half, we wanted to run but you won't be able to if you give up 14 offensive rebounds. And you can't run if you're turning the ball over... Giving up 27 total extra possessions on the other end means you lose 27 extra possesions. Even if you want to run, if you keep turning the ball over, you won't be able to. In the second half, we were able to fix it.)