Caelan Tiongson has finally come out of his shell and provided the nudge Rain or Shine needed to get on board its semifinal series with powerhouse TNT in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

A seasoned veteran on the international scene, the do-it-all sophomore put up 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists in Game 3 last Sunday—all while clamping down on the Tropang Giga’s resident import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson that helped in a 103-98 victory.

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That great two-way performance was also a triumph in itself for the 32-year-old forward, considering where he was at this stage of the playoffs against the very same foe last tournament.

READ: PBA: Rain or Shine trims deficit to 2-1 after raining down on TNT

“Last conference, when I missed the semifinals, I was disappointed. I think I was at home for two years doing nothing and not playing any basketball,” Tiongson said.

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“So I was still trying to get my legs back,” he added, referring to a calf injury that rendered him a mere spectator during the Governors’ Cup, where his crew was shown the door after five games.

“I think now, with my first taste of a deep playoff run playing in the semis, you can tell I’m out there,” he said.

Tiongson knows things are only going to be more tedious as the Painters try to equalize in the best-of-seven series in Game 4 on Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Replenishing the faith

But he is also confident that his team’s recent feat is exactly what Rain or Shine needs to replenish its faith going into what is a must-win game for the Painters.

“I think we were in both of those first two games, and then we lost, he explained. “We think we could’ve won them. So, now, we’re looking forward to evening out the series.”

If only Arvin Tolentino could say the same for NorthPort, which will be fighting for its conference in the curtain-raiser against Barangay Ginebra.

Down three-zip, the Batang Pier ace and Best Player of the Conference candidate had very little to say in a chat with reporters.

“We’re just really trying to be positive,” the sweet-shooting forward said. “We’ve actually overachieved this conference. We’re just sticking to each other, which is [a] hard thing to do [at this time].”

NorthPort was the No. 1 seed going into the knockout stage, but the Batang Pier looks like a shell of that team against a Gin Kings crew that has been coalescing well and are enjoying a full-strength roster for the first time in a long while.

The team has not been the same since the mid-conference lull, especially Tolentino, whose scoring average of 23 points plummeted to just 11.6 in the Final Four.

Still, he was clearly trying to look less distraught.

“I couldn’t say we’re good right now since we’re down. But the morale is OK,” he said. INQ