The PBA Governors’ Cup continues today, and it will have major implications on the playoff hopes of three of the teams playing: Converge FiberXers, Phoenix Fuel Masters, and Meralco Bolts. As for the fourth team, the Macau Giant Pandas, their embarrassing days as a guest team will mercifully end tonight.
What Tonight’s Game Means for Converge
Regardless of the results of the FiberXers’ last two games in the PBA Governors’ Cup, they will still be playing in the quarterfinals. In fact, the playoff picture is already set in Group A, with Converge joining the NLEX Road Warriors, San Miguel Beermen, and TNT Tropang 5G. What remains in this group are the seedings from 2 through 4.
Converge, in particular, can finish as high as the third seed if it wins later tonight against Macau and then beats TNT by four points or more on Sunday, 18 October, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. In that scenario, the FiberXers and Tropang 5G both end up at 7-5, with Converge getting the third seed by virtue of a higher point differential. Needless to say, Delta Pineda’s squad needs to take care of business against the Giant Pandas for this situation to possibly materialize.
What Tonight’s Game Means for Phoenix
In contrast to Group A, the playoff picture in Group B is a bit murkier as only the Magnolia Hotshots are assured of quarters entry. Phoenix can put one foot in that playoff bus later tonight if it repeats over Meralco.
The Fuel Masters, who began the PBA Governors’ Cup with back-to-back wins, are currently at 4-3, in a tie with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters for second and third place in Group B. A win over the Bolts later will push them to 5-3 and solo second for the meantime. Those five wins should be enough for a quarterfinals berth as either Barangay Ginebra San Miguel or Blackwater Bossing—both at 3-5—will end up with six losses after they face off in the final day of eliminations.
What Tonight’s Game Means for Meralco
Meralco’s game against Phoenix is its last in this PBA Governors’ Cup, and it is essentially a must-win. Put simply, a win strengthens the Bolts’ chances of making it to the quarterfinals as it will push them to an even 5-5 record.
A loss, on the other hand, would be a big blow to Meralco but not exactly a death knell. If they lose to Phoenix, the Bolts will end up at 4-6, and their chances of making the quarterfinals will depend on the results of the other remaining games. If, by some crazy accident, multiple teams still wind up with a similar record as Meralco, then the quotient system will come into play.
Friday’s PBA Governors’ Cup action starts when Converge takes on Macau in the first game, followed by Phoenix and Meralco in the second.
