Rivals Meralco Bolts and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel both notched crucial victories in PBA Philippine Cup action on Wednesday, with the Bolts dismantling the Terrafirma Dyip and Ginebra beating the Blackwater Bossing.
With their wins, both Meralco and Ginebra improved to 4-4 but remained on the outside looking in at that coveted top-four finish and the twice-to-beat advantage it affords. In fact, if the elimination round ended today, Meralco and Ginebra would be the seventh and eighth seeds, respectively, and would be facing the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and San Miguel Beermen in need of two wins.
Meralco and Ginebra Looking for a Strong End to Elims
Needless to say, the longtime rivals are in the same boat and are both looking to author a strong finish to the elims to get a more favorable seeding come playoff time. No wonder the Bolts and Gin Kings are treating their final games in the elimination round the same way: like playoff games.
“Tonight’s game was absolutely crucial for us, and [we have] another one on Friday before we leave for Bahrain, and then play a tough game against a really tough Rain or Shine [Elasto Painters],” Tim Cone said postgame after Ginebra’s big win over Blackwater. “These games are all really crucial for us just to get into the playoffs… We gotta continue to win games, so every game for us is a playoff game.”
Bolts coach Luigi Trillo essentially said the same thing in the wake of Meralco’s win over Terrafirma.
“Just a different mindset today. I think they know how important these games are. Kasi kung matalo kami, laglag na kami,” Trillo told reporters. “I think we need to win two and three. Kung manalo kami dun, it might put us in a situation na may chance pa kami sa top four. Every game for us is a playoff game right now.”
What Lies Ahead
Of the two teams, though, it looks like Ginebra has the more favorable schedule moving forward. They take on perennial bottom-feeder Terrafirma on Friday, current league leader Rain or Shine on December 17 (in Bahrain), and the Titan Ultra Giant Risers on December 21.
Meralco, in contrast, will go up against the Phoenix Fuel Masters on Friday, the Converge FiberXers on December 14, and the San Miguel Beermen on December 19. With both teams at 4-4, expect both Ginebra and Meralco to go all out and play as if, well, they’re in Game 7 of the Finals because a loss could prove disastrous.
