The elimination round of the PBA Philippine Cup is down to its final three play dates—today, Friday, and Sunday. And with three playing days remaining, only two things are for certain: the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters have earned one of the four twice-to-beat incentives, and the Phoenix Fuel Masters, Terrafirma Dyip, and Blackwater Bossing are all out of quarterfinal contention.
Everything else—such as who will get the three other win-once incentives and who will finish Nos. 5 through 8—is still up in the air, though tonight’s triple-header figures to bring clarity to some of that.
San Miguel Can Clinch Top-Four Finish for PBA Philippin Cup Title Defense
The San Miguel Beermen have everything to gain when they open today’s PBA triple-header with a date opposite also-ran Terrafirma. Riding high on a seven-game winning streak, the Beermen can nail down a top-four finish with a win over the 1-9 Dyip. That is because a win puts San Miguel at 8-2 and safe from a potential multi-team logjam at 7-4, in which case the seedings will be determined by quotients.
Converge, NLEX Try to Stay Alive for Win-Once Advantage
Next up, the Converge FiberXers and NLEX Road Warriors will look to stay in the hunt for a top-four finish in the PBA Philippine Cup when they face off against each other in the second game at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. The winner will climb to 7-4 and will hope to have the superior quotient in cases of multi-team ties. The loser, however, will drop to 6-5 and be out of the top-four race entirely. Unfortunately for the Road Warriors, they will be without star guard Robert Bolick, who is currently helping Gilas Pilipinas win gold in the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand.
Ginebra Looks to Complete Quarterfinals Cast
Wednesday’s final offering, which will bleed well into the wee hours of Thursday morning, will see Barangay Ginebra San Miguel taking on Rain or Shine at the Khalifa Sports City Stadium in Bahrain. Rain or Shine has nothing to lose but would surely love to keep its hot streak going at the expense of the crowd darlings. Ginebra, on the other hand, is virtually in a must-win situation, as a victory will formalize the team’s entry into the quarterfinals and keep alive its hopes for a top-four finish. A loss, however, will drop Ginebra into a win-or-go-home showdown against the Titan Ultra Giant Risers in the final game of the eliminations on Sunday.
