Games Wednesday (Ninoy Aquino Stadium)4:30 p.m. — NorthPort vs Terrafirma7:30 p.m. — TNT vs Phoenix
From undefeated leader San Miguel Beer (SMB) to their spirited pursuers to even exits-bound Converge, all teams have everything to play for in the last two weeks of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup eliminations.
At 7-0, the defending champion Beermen may be safely into the quarterfinal round with still four games to go. But the pacesetters still have to get their hands on the coveted Top 2 seeding and twice-to-beat advantage in the Last-8.
And a rare 11-nil elims sweep is also a tantalizing proposition. Powerhouse SMB can achieve this by hurdling Magnolia, NLEX, Blackwater and Meralco in their closing assignments.
The second-running Hotshots (5-2) lead the chase pack that also includes No. 3 Barangay Ginebra (6-3), No. 4 NLEX (5-3), No. 5 Rain or Shine (5-5) and No. 6 TNT (4-4).
Terrafirma and NorthPort sit at seventh and eighth with identical 4-5, both determined to hang on their spots inside the Magic 8.
Knocking at the doors of the cutline are the Blackwater, Phoenix and Meralco, which tote 3-5 slates entering the elims homestretch. Historically, six victories should be good to send a squad into the playoffs. But five may also suffice to either gain an outright qualification or set a rubbermatch, depending on how tight the standings go.
As for the FiberXers, post-elims play is already out of reach with their 1-8 card. But there are still battles to be won.
“In our last two games, we’re going to compete. We want to end the conference on a high note,” said coach Aldin Ayo, whose charges take on the Gin Kings and the Tropang Giga before their final bow. — Olmin Leyba
