Four in fight to survive

Eight teams made it to the quarterfinals of the PBA Philippine Cup and four are now in must-win situations with their backs against the wall. First in the line of fire is No. 7 Converge which faces No. 2 TNT with a twice-to-win disadvantage in the first game of a doubleheader at the Smart Araneta Coliseum today. Second is No. 8 Blackwater which tangles with No. 1 San Miguel Beer with a similar twice-to-win disadvantage in the second game tonight. Then, on Friday, No. 4 Barangay Ginebra battles to stay alive against No. 5 Meralco in Game 2 of their best-of-three series at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan and in the nightcap, No. 6 NLEX is in the same predicament against No. 3 Magnolia in another best-of-three duel.

A loss by Converge, Blackwater, Ginebra and NLEX will leave four survivors left to square off in the semifinals. The winner of San Miguel-Blackwater engages the winner of Ginebra-Meralco in a best-of-7 series while the winner of TNT-Converge takes on the winner of Magnolia-NLEX in the other best-of-7 tie. The finals will also be a best-of-7 affair.

The playoffs got underway last Sunday with Magnolia upending NLEX, 98-89, and Meralco surprising Ginebra, 93-82. The Hotshots and Bolts are a win away from booking a ticket to the Final Four. Magnolia is the hottest team in the league with eight straight wins after a 0-2 start. Coach Chito Victolero’s call to arms brought all hands on deck with Mark Barroca, Paul Lee, Jio Jalalon, Ian Sangalang and Calvin Abueva leading the charge. His supporting cast is as productive with Jackson Corpuz, Aris Dionisio, Rome de la Rosa and Adrian Wong in the army. Rafi Reavis, James Laput and Russell Escoto provide ceiling to take care of the boards. It’s no wonder that at the end of the elims, Magnolia was No. 1 in rebounding. The Hotshots were also No. 1 in defense and turnover points, a tribute to the pesky press of Jalalon and Barroca plus Abueva’s in-your-face opposition.

NLEX is the league’s most fouled team and the Road Warriors must capitalize by staying aggressive. Coach Yeng Guiao’s challenge is to match up against Jalalon and Barroca, a tough task if Kevin Alas and Kris Rosales continue to be sidelined. Calvin Oftana has scored in double digits every game this conference but his consistency must be matched by Don Trollano, Matt Nieto, Tony Semerad, JR Quinahan, Justin Chua and Raul Soyud. Two can play the physical game and Guiao’s squad won’t ever back down from a grind. If Magnolia plays physical, NLEX must do the same but with more intensity if it hopes to force a Game 3.

Ginebra’s lack of depth was evident in Meralco’s win in Game 1. Arvin Tolentino hasn’t played the last four games with a shoulder injury and his absence is telling. L.A. Tenorio was scoreless and Stanley Pringle chipped in only six last Sunday. Japeth Aguilar was scoreless in the first half but finished with 10 points, not fully recovered from dengue. Scottie Thompson was brilliant with 29 points, 10 boards and three assists but can’t do it alone. Christian Standhardinger has to do more than his 12 points and four rebounds in the series opener. Coach Tim Cone’s formula for success is anchored on defense but in Game 1, it was Meralco that stood strong, limiting Ginebra to 82 points and less than 20 in the second and third quarters. Aaron Black, Allein Maliksi and Chris Newsome provide the offense but Cliff Hodge, Raymond Almazan and Kyle Pascual are working their magic in the interior.