It’s everyday PBA

Four teams are left standing in the race for the PBA Philippine Cup crown and starting tonight, it will be everyday PBA in the two best-of-7 semifinal pairings up to at least Game 4 of the alternating series on March 16. Only one game will be played each day so attention is undivided every step of the way to the finals.

Defending champion and top seed San Miguel Beer takes on No. 4 Barangay Ginebra in Game 1 of their tie at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight. Then, No. 2 Magnolia faces No. 6 NLEX to open their own series also at the Big Dome tomorrow night. Both series will take alternate turns up to the clinchers. Game 2 of the San Miguel-Ginebra series will be at Araneta on Sunday, Game 3 at the MOA Arena on Tuesday and Game 4 at the MOA Arena on Thursday. If necessary, Game 5 will be at the Cuneta Astrodome on Saturday, March 17, Game 6 at the Ynares Center Antipolo on Monday, March 19 and Game 7 at the Ynares Center in Antipolo on Wednesday, March 21.

Game 2 of the Magnolia-NLEX series will be at the MOA Arena on Monday, Game 3 at Araneta on Wednesday, Game 4 at the MOA Arena on Friday and if necessary, Game 5 at the Ynares Center Antipolo on Sunday, March 18, Game 6 at Araneta on Tuesday, March 20 and Game 7 at Araneta on Thursday, March 22. All games start at 7 p.m. except for Saturdays and Sundays when the tipoff is at 6:30 p.m.

Unlike in the eliminations where a tiebreaker was necessary to determine the No. 8 qualifier, the quarterfinals proceeded without a playoff. San Miguel Beer and Magnolia, enjoying a twice-to-beat advantage, advanced in one game while NLEX and Ginebra went two in a row to sweep their best-of-3 series. Playoff qualifiers No. 8 TNT, No. 7 GlobalPort, No. 5 Rain Or Shine and No. 3 Alaska were winless in the quarterfinals.

San Miguel was 3-3 in its last six elimination games and didn’t look like a top seed entering the playoffs. The Beermen almost lost to cellar-dweller Kia and escaped with a 108-106 squeaker last Feb. 23 but JuneMar Fajardo and Alex Cabagnot were both absent. Against TNT in the playoffs, the Beermen were in fighting form as Fajardo delivered 35 points. Not only were Fajardo and Cabagnot back but also Gabby Espinas, who sat out the first nine games of the conference. Coach Leo Austria can now extend his regular rotation to at least 10 warm bodies so his nucleus isn’t burdened by heavy minutes.

Ginebra has won five of its last six outings and like Austria, coach Tim Cone got a boost in his rotation with the return of Joe De Vance who sat out nine games before making his conference debut. Since JDV’s comeback, Ginebra is 3-1. Greg Slaughter missed Ginebra’s last three assignments to recover from a bad ankle sprain. Somehow, Cone managed to adjust his rotation and Ginebra won those three games without Slaughter. But against San Miguel in a long series, Ginebra can’t afford to sit down Slaughter with Fajardo a dominant interior presence. Fans are eagerly anticipating the matchup between Gregzilla and the Kraken. If they’re able to neutralize each other, it’ll be up to their co-stars to decide the tie. In the eliminations, Ginebra beat San Miguel, 100-96, without Slaughter as little-used Raymond Aguilar, an undrafted free agent, delivered 16 points and LA Tenorio and Japeth Aguilar scored 23 apiece. Fajardo shot 33 in a losing effort. Surely, Fajardo will want payback in the semis.

NLEX is in its first-ever semifinals and the Road Warriors are on a blazing streak, winning six of their last seven. Coach Yeng Guiao’s equal opportunity system has brought out the best in rookie Kiefer Ravena, Kevin Alas, J. R. Quinahan, Larry Fonacier, Michael Miranda, Alex Mallari and the rest of the gritty squad. But NLEX will be severely challenged by Magnolia, bidding to make a finals breakthrough after three semifinal finishes last season. Guiao expects no less than 100 percent effort from every Road Warrior and a seat on the bench awaits anyone who fails to live up to his expectations, no matter the billing.

The Hotshots have won three in a row and were No. 1 in defense in the elims, giving up an average of only 84.1 points. Coach Chito Victolero’s guard-oriented attack fits the Hotshots’ character as a feisty, full-court pressing and relentless squad. In the elims, Magnolia ripped NLEX, 105-94, with Paul Lee erupting for 21 points. Ravena fired 31, Quinahan 22 and Alas 13. The series is a dream because NLEX also relies on its guards to carry the load. In the San Miguel-Ginebra duel, the battlefront is in the middle while in the Magnolia-NLEX showdown, it’s in the backcourt. 

Health is wealth in the playoffs. A team that is hampered by injuries will find it difficult to compete consistently in a long series because of the attrition factor. A team that has a deep rotation has the advantage in an extended tie.