Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia. Photo by Richard Esguerra, ABS-CBN Sports.

MANILA – Rain or Shine (ROS) head coach Caloy Garcia won't deny that the usually stable Elasto Painters are going through some struggles in the 2016-17 PBA Philippine Cup, where they have now lost three consecutive games.

A 99-117 setback to GlobalPort on Sunday marked the Elasto Painters' third straight loss, which puts their record at 5-5 heading into their final game of the elimination round against the Alaska Aces on Wednesday. Rain or Shine will have to win that game in order to secure a ticket to the quarterfinals.

Garcia revealed Sunday that he expressed his disappointment to his players, some of whom, he said, are "just playing for themselves."

• READ: Defense has failed Rain or Shine in late PH Cup collapse

"We're not thinking anymore like the old Rain or Shine team, na lahat tayo, we help each other out," he admitted. "This time, parang watak-watak ang dating nila. But it happens."

"I told them that I'm not Coach Yeng (Guiao), and I'm not going to curse you guys, but I know what the problem is. We just have to fix it. The main problem is between them," he said.

There was a point in the conference that Rain or Shine was in the running for one of the top two spots, wherein they played consistently on both ends of the floor. However, since a brutal overtime loss to San Miguel Beer, the Elasto Painters have been in a freefall, even losing to league-worst Meralco last week.

"It's like most players are thinking of themselves," Garcia rued. "We just have to step out and make our recovery after this game."

Against GlobalPort, the Elasto Painters were hesitant on offense and displayed a lack of communication on defense. Garcia observed that his players would at times pass up open shots, but then force shots that were well-defended. He also called out their big men, whom he said did not help when called to double-team.

"It's really frustrating as a coach," he admitted. "But if we have go through this to get better, then I'll take this."

"(But) I am worried about the players right now and how they reacted to what we talked about," he also said. "I hope they can step out of the shadow and just talk to themselves, para maayos ang mga problema nila."

Rain or Shine has one last chance to secure a quarterfinals ticket against Alaska, and that game is absolutely a must-win for the Elasto Painters.

"We know that Alaska also needs the win," Garcia said. "So if you can beat a team like Alaska going into the next round, I think that's a good sign."

"The only negative thing is, if you lose that game, then you're gonna go against Blackwater for a knockout (game)," he added.

(For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website.)