The final seedings for the quarterfinals of the PBA Philippine Cup will be determined later today when the TNT Tropang 5G clash with the Magnolia Hotshots and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel faces off against the Titan Ultra Giant Risers. At the moment, the San Miguel Beermen and Rain or Shine Elasto Painters are assured of the top two spots, with the former toting a 9–2 record and the latter having an 8–3 slate. The NLEX Road Warriors, in contrast, will end up at no. 8. Everything will fall into place at the end of tonight’s twin bill.
TNT Goes for No. 3 Seed in PBA Philippine Cup
A lot is riding on the TNT vs. Magnolia showdown at 5:15 p.m. A win by TNT will assure them of the No. 3 seed, as it means the Tropa will finish with an 8–3 record as well. However, Rain or Shine gets the second seed by virtue of its 91–89 win over TNT before the PBA Philippine Cup took a three-week break for the FIBA window.
A loss, meanwhile, could be disastrous, depending on the result of the Ginebra vs. Titan clash later in the day. A TNT loss to Magnolia and a Ginebra win will set up a logjam at 7–4, and it is a scenario that does not favor the Tropa. In this case, TNT will fall to fifth, with the Converge FiberXers and Ginebra getting seeds No. 3 and 4 by virtue of superior quotients. Magnolia will end up at No. 6, followed by the Meralco Bolts and NLEX Road Warriors.
Can Magnolia Sneak into the Top Four?
After a riveting start to the PBA Philippine Cup, Magnolia has regressed to the point that it is in danger of being in twice-to-win territory. However, it can still rectify that gloomy situation with a win over TNT. The Hotshots will need to win big—at least eight points or more—if they want to win the tiebreaks among teams with identical 7–4 records.
Assuming a Magnolia win coupled with a Ginebra win, the Hotshots will wind up tied with TNT, Ginebra, and Converge at 7–4. A Magnolia win and a Ginebra loss will mean a three-team tie among Converge, Magnolia, and TNT. Either way, the Hotshots currently hold an inferior quotient in both scenarios, making it imperative that they beat TNT by a large margin.
Can Ginebra Sneak into the Top Four?
Yes, believe it or not, Ginebra can still earn a win-once edge in this PBA Philippine Cup despite a slow start. Should Magnolia beat TNT by less than eight points and Ginebra take care of Titan Ultra, then the crowd darlings will backdoor their way into the top four as the fourth seed, just below third-seed Converge. TNT will fall to No. 5, and Magnolia will end up at No. 6. Of course, none of that will come into play if Magnolia loses to TNT or Ginebra somehow falls to the Giant Risers.
