Rain or Shine is bracing for the toughest stretch of its eliminations schedule when it returns to action in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup after a long 16-day break.

The Elasto Painters are currently at the second spot of the standings with a 4-1 record including huge wins over Eastern, Magnolia and San Miguel but will still face title contenders Ginebra and TNT as well as fellow dark horses Converge and NorthPort.

And that is exactly why head coach Yeng Guiao could only hope that the rainy holiday season did not extinguish the fire of his team’s hot run heading into the crucial stretch of their playoff drive.

“New year, new challenge para sa amin. We have seven games and yun naman ang kailangan namin isipin ngayon,” said Guiao whose wards last saw action with a 124-112 victory over Terrafirma last Dec. 22 but will not play until Jan. 8 when the Elasto Painters face the Blackwater Bossing.

“We don't play until Jan. 8 so my worry really is baka mawala yung sharpness o baka mag iba yung routine namin kasi maraming distractions,” he added.

If ROS manages to keep their top form, even with the loaded schedule, Guiao believes the team can give other teams a run for their money just by judging at how they responded to adversities through their first five games.

“I think the good thing about this is ang ganda noong balik namin. Nabalikan pa namin 'yun. Usually, kung 'yung dating team namin, kapag nag-collapse kami ng ganoon, 'di na kami makakabalik,” said Guiao referring to ROS’ comeback win over Magnolia last December.

“Pero ito, I see it as a good sign. Yes, we lost momentum, nakuha nila 'yung lead. Akala ko, sabi ko, wala na, baka 'di na kami makabalik. Nakabalik pa rin. ibig sabihin, nag-iiba na 'yung character ng team. It’s a good sign,” he added.