Beermen, Kings aim for Top 2 seeds

MANILA, Philippines -  Philippine Cup finalists San Miguel Beer and Barangay Ginebra seek to get themselves in a good playoff position that could lead to a title rematch as they face GlobalPort and Mahindra, respectively, tonight at the close of the PBA Commissioner Cup elims at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Beermen and the Gin Kings go for key wins that will make them the elims top-notchers and the playoff top seeds that will enjoy a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals versus the lowest-ranked qualifiers.

Meanwhile, GlobalPort tries to salvage the sixth spot while Mahindra fights for pride on the last day of the single-round-robin elimination phase where the Beermen and the Batang Pier face off at 4:15 p.m. then the Kings and the Floodbuster mix it up at 7 p.m.

“Hopefully, we learned from our last game (against Blackwater). From the start, we know everybody wants to beat us, we being the all-Filipino champion. So we always have to be careful,” said San Miguel coach Leo Austria.

Though ranged against a team that is out of the playoff race, the Gin Kings are determined to play their best so as not to blow a chance to be the playoff top seed.

Being merely the seventh seed in the recent all-Filipino tourney, the Kings scraped, clawed and battled hard to make the title playoff versus eventual champ San Miguel Beer.

“It was a tough road,” Ginebra coach Tim Cone recalled.

“Top seeding doesn’t guarantee a championship but it gets you to a good road in the playoffs,” said Cone on what’s at stake for them tonight.

The Kings have beaten all their major foes, making them the strongest contender for playoff top seeding.

They may end up tied with the Star Hotshots and the Beermen on top at 9-2. But by virtue of a superior quotient, the Kings will reign as the best team, followed by the Beermen then the Hotshots who will be relegated to the best-of-three playoffs.

“Needless to say, we really want that top seed. That makes our game crucial. But that doesn’t mean that just because we want it we’re going to get it. You’re never given anything in our league, you always have to earn it,” said Cone.