The race for the PBA Governors’ Cup title is down to eight teams, each carrying varying levels of momentum, championship pedigree, and postseason intrigue into the quarterfinals. From defending champion TNT Tropang 5G to upstart Phoenix, here’s how the playoff field stacks up heading into the most important games of the conference.
1. TNT Tropang 5G (No. 4 in Group A)
Other teams—the Magnolia Hotshots and Converge FiberXers—are hotter overall, but the defending champs, with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson back, are the title favorites until further notice. This team has the reigning Best Import, is loaded with talented veterans, and boasts one of the best combinations of firepower (108.0 points per game, fifth in the Governors’ Cup) and unforgiving defense in the league (99.2 points allowed, third stingiest). It is also healthy coming into the playoffs and is seemingly peaking.
2. San Miguel Beermen (No. 2 in Group A)
It’s hard to bet against a team powered by the local crew that has won the last two Philippine Cups and reinforced by one of the most prolific imports in recent PBA history. San Miguel‘s talent is undeniable, the firepower is nearly unmatched, and the veteran leadership is unquestioned. There’s also the matter of June Mar Fajardo looking like he’s finally healthy after an injury-plagued start to this Governors’ Cup (25.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in San Miguel’s last two wins).
3. Magnolia Hotshots (No. 1 in Group B)
The Hotshots enter the quarterfinals on a six-game winning streak, and it looks like they’ve found an identity under LA Tenorio: selfless on offense, tenacious on defense. Jerom Lastimosa (15.5 points, 4.7 assists) powers that efficient, find-the-open-man offense, while Zavier Lucero (1.1 steals, 1.2 blocks) anchors that stifling, versatile defense that surrenders only 94.2 points per game (best in the league). Import KJ Buffen, meanwhile, has proven to be the perfect fit, filling in the gaps and doing it all for Magnolia.
4. Converge FiberXers (No. 3 in Group A)
Like Magnolia, Converge is also on a six-game winning streak heading into the Governors’ Cup playoffs after that scintillating come-from-behind 114-112 overtime triumph over TNT. It’s been quite a turnaround for a team that once lost four straight early in this conference, and much of that has to do with two major factors: Cameron Clark‘s (26.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.2 blocks) arrival and a renewed emphasis on defense. The firepower has always been there for the FiberXers (a league-best 122.4 points per game this conference), and now they seem to have enough defensively to beat the league’s elite.
5. NLEX Road Warriors (No. 1 in Group A)
The Road Warriors have been in this situation before: parlaying a strong start into a high seeding—in this case, No. 1 in Group A. That’s to be expected with a free-flowing, fast-paced offense, a scrappy defense, and a rotation that routinely goes 13 to 14 deep. Importantly, Deonte Burton (28.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 3.3 steals, 3.3 blocks) has been a more than capable replacement for DeQuan Jones, whose leadership and playmaking got NLEX off to an unbeaten start. That collapse against San Miguel, though, raises questions about whether the Road Warriors can handle the heat of high-stakes hoops.
6. Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (No. 3 in Group B)
Traditionally slow-starting, Ginebra has picked things up somewhat after the long Governors’ Cup break, winning three of its remaining four assignments—all by double digits. Jordan Murphy has injected life into the barangay with his energy and bully ball inside, Scottie Thompson seems to be turning into Playoff Scottie, and RJ Abarrientos is starting to play like he did in the Commissioner’s Cup. And that defense, by far the best in the league before the break, continues to be solid (94.4 points allowed, second to Magnolia).
7. Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (No. 2 in Group B)
Losses to Magnolia and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel—one an emerging contender and the other a reigning champion—in the Governors’ Cup restart may have exposed Rain or Shine as being a notch below the truly elite. That doesn’t mean a team that has made the playoffs eight straight times is a pushover. It does mean that Rain or Shine is coming into the quarterfinals vulnerable and in need of a spark to get going again.
8. Phoenix Fuel Masters (No. 4 in Group B)
This is the Fuel Masters‘ second straight playoff appearance under Charles Tiu, and it is something to be encouraged by. But come the Governors’ Cup quarterfinals, they’ll be punching way above their weight, as they lack both the top-to-bottom depth of the other contenders and that all-important playoff experience. Think of it this way: Phoenix is still trying to build something, and it will be thrown into the lion’s den.
Governors’ Cup Playoffs Unfurl
The PBA Governors’ Cup playoffs begin on Sunday, October 25, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. Starting things off will be top-seeded NLEX going up against fourth-seeded Phoenix, followed by No. 4 TNT taking on No. 1 Magnolia. All quarterfinals pairings are best-of-five affairs.
