Today is the final play date of the PBA Governors’ Cup, and for the third day in a row, Ynares Center in Antipolo will be holding a double-header—Rain or Shine Elasto Painters vs. Phoenix Fuel Masters and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel vs. Blackwater Bossing—with big playoff implications.
What Tonight’s Game Means for Rain or Shine
It’s simple for Rain or Shine: beat Phoenix, finish at 6-4, and seal the second seed in Group B. Being No. 2, in turn, means the Elasto Painters will be facing the red-hot Converge FiberXers in the crossover PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinals. A loss, on the other hand, drops Rain or Shine to 5-5 and into either the third or fourth seed, depending on the result of Ginebra vs. Blackwater.
What Tonight’s Game Means for Phoenix
Like Rain or Shine, a win puts Phoenix at 6-4 and at No. 2 in Group B for a collision course against Converge. A loss pushes the Fuel Masters to 5-5 and down to either the third or fourth seed, depending on the result of Ginebra vs. Blackwater.
What Tonight’s Game Means for Ginebra
Again, it’s real simple here: Ginebra wins and improves to 5-5 and enters the Governors’ Cup quarterfinals scot-free as the third seed. That’s because the crowd darlings have the point-differential advantage over both Phoenix (+14) and Rain or Shine (+11).
Unbelievably, Ginebra can also lose to Blackwater and still make the playoffs as the fourth seed as long as it doesn’t lose by more than 23 points. But if Blackwater somehow beats the Barangay by 24-44 points, then both the Bossing and Ginebra are out, and the Meralco Bolts will backdoor their way into the quarters.
What Tonight’s Game Means for Blackwater
Blackwater needs a miracle if it wants to make it to the Governors’ Cup quarterfinals. Specifically, the Bossing need to win by 45 points or more to improve their quotient enough to overtake Meralco and Ginebra in a three-team tie at 4-6.
Rain or Shine takes on Phoenix in the first game later today, with tipoff at 5:15 p.m. Ginebra then faces Blackwater in the nightcap, with tipoff at 7:30 p.m.
