Coach Yeng Guiao was pleased to see import Deon Thompson join him inside the press room for the customary winning coach’s interview after a performance that allowed Rain or Shine to once again win a deciding quarterfinal series game and march on in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

“Long overdue,” Guiao told Thompson, who scored 34 points that went with 12 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and three blocks in the ElastoPainters’ 112-103 victory over the Converge FiberXers in Sunday’s Game 3 at Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

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And why not? Thompson didn’t let the frustrations of fouling out early in the third quarter of Rain or Shine’s Game 1 loss get to him, turning the post into his playground even against Converge’s triple towers of import Cheick Diallo, Justin Arana and Justine Baltazar in the KO game.

READ: PBA: Justin Arana, Converge head to Game 3 with more motivation

“It really felt good for me, especially after Game 1, which was very difficult for me to go home that night,” Thompson said, adding, “knowing that I kind of left my team out there.”

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And now, the E-Painters are moving on to face the TNT Tropang Giga once more in a best-of-seven semifinal series tentatively set to start on Feb. 26, as the midseason conference will have a lengthy break due to Gilas Pilipinas’ campaign in the final window of the Fiba Asia Cup Qualifiers.

Rain or Shine is banking on Thompson to once again perform to expectations, with a well-balanced TNT side led by import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson awaiting them. The Tropang Giga dispatched the E-Painters, 4-1, in the semis of the season-opening Governors’ Cup.

Guiao gave Thompson his flowers, not only for his Game 3 performance, but also for his composure after the Game 1 misery.

Guiao’s familiarity with Thompson, who faced Gilas Pilipinas in a pocket tournament in Spain back in 2019 as a naturalized player for Ivory Coast, prompted Rain or Shine to tap the 36-year-old product of University of North Carolina.

“I think among the imports, he is the most underrated,” said Guiao. “He’s probably the lowest-scoring import [this conference], but he had his best game today. And just three assists short of a triple-double. Not only that, he also did it on the defensive side.

“He’s not really noticed, but for us in the team, we know what he means and I believe he is a big part of the success that we have now,” he added.

Thompson was not the only story of Rain or Shine’s win. Adrian Nocum, who has slowly become one of the league’s most popular players with his acrobatic plays and tenacious defense, delivered 25 points.

Beau Belga made good use of his short appearance at the start of the fourth to give Thompson a brief rest, as he hit two triples that created separation from the FiberXers. This latest knockout victory by the Painters added to their triumphs against TNT and Magnolia in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Philippine Cup and the Governors’ Cup.

Those two triples helped doom Converge, whose bid for a first-ever semifinal appearance got derailed with a second straight loss in a do-or-die quarters match. INQ