By Olmin Leyba
WITH much at stake, quarterfinals-chasing NorthPort (NP) and Phoenix and top four-aspiring TnT and Meralco push for their own agenda when they cap their respective Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors’ Cup elims campaigns today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Fuel Masters (5-5) and the Bolts (6-4) clash at 3 p.m. while the red-hot Batang Pier (5-5) and the streaking Tropang Giga (6-4) mix it up at 6 p.m., all bent on claiming that pivotal booster for their playoffs drives.
For eighth-running squads NorthPort and Phoenix, it’s a fight for survival in the race for a seat to the quarterfinals.
If one wins and the other loses, the victor moves on to the Last-8 while the defeated gets the boot. If they both prevail, they go into a six-way logjam at No. 4 where either an outright entry or a rubbermatch for No. 8 awaits, depending on their final standings after the quotient tie-breaker. If they both fall, the Batang Pier and the Fuel Masters finish in a tie for eighth with 5-6, set for a KO for the last berth.
For TnT and Meralco, a win guarantees the coveted twice-to-beat incentive allotted to the third and fourth-seeded teams. This is due to their superior quotients versus San Miguel Beer (SMB) (7-4) in the event of a three-way tie for No. 3.
If TnT beats NorthPort and Meralco loses to Phoenix, the Tropang Giga takes the No. 3 while SMB gets fourth spot and the remaining win-once bonus. If Meralco prevails and TnT falters, it will be the Bolts and the Beermen joining Magnolia Hotshots (9-2) and NLEX Road Warriors (8-3) in the top four.
The Tropang Giga-Batang Pier showdown pits two protagonists with a sizzling streak of four and five games, respectively.
“NorthPort is the hottest team in the league right now and we’re going to be tested,” said TnT mentor Chot Reyes, citing the importance of sharpening their defense.
“We need to find a way to stop the NorthPort offensive juggernaut. Those guys are buckets — Jamel Artis, Robert Bolick, Arwind Santos as well as Jamie Malonzo. If we defend the way we defended (last game against Terrafirma), we’re going to be in trouble. So it has to be a defensive approach against NorthPort.”
After a horrible 0-5 start, the Batang Pier roared to life and went on a tear, taking down previously unbeaten Meralco and Magnolia along the way.
“Having five straight wins is good for us, but it will amount to nothing if we lose our last game against TnT,” said NP mentor Pido Jarencio.
Meanwhile, after finally snapping its league-worst 29-game losing skid with a 101-100 upset of top-ranked Magnolia Wednesday night, Blackwater is poised to continue the buildup and turn things around next season. “Now, the monkey’s off our back,” said coach Ariel Vanguardia, whose charges were fired up by the presence of team owner Dioceldo Sy in their “coming-out” party. “Hopefully come next season, we’re looking forward to our different picks (No. 1 and two other first-round selections plus first tab in the second round). That’s, like, four picks that can really help this franchise get over the hump. We won’t trade these picks, we’ll keep them and try to rebuild this team,” added Mr. Vanguardia.