Last eight standing

Five teams are off to an early Christmas vacation in the PBA but they would’ve preferred to stay for the Governors’ Cup quarterfinals which reel off with a twinbill at the Ynares Center, Antipolo, today. Out of contention are guest Macau (2-10), Titan (2-10) and Terrafirma (5-7) from Group A and Blackwater (3-7) and Meralco (4-6) from Group B.

The quarterfinals will be best-of-five affairs, meaning no twice-to-beat advantage for higher seeds in each pairing. The clashes are No. 1 NLEX (9-3) from Group A against No. 4 Phoenix (5-5) from Group B, No. 1 Magnolia (7-3) from Group B against No. 4 TNT (7-5) from Group A, No. 2 San Miguel Beer (9-3) from Group A against No. 3 Barangay Ginebra (5-5) from Group B and No. 3 Converge (8-4) from Group A against No. 2 Rain or Shine 6-4) from Group B.

Games are scheduled up to Nov. 10 then the PBA will take a break until Dec. 3 to make way for the fifth FIBA World Cup Asia qualifying window in Malaysia. The best-of-seven semifinals will be on Dec. 4-13 and the best-of-seven finals on Dec. 16-30.

Ynares Center, Antipolo, Smart Araneta Coliseum, Ninoy Aquino Stadium and Dasmariñas City, Cavite Arena will be the venues for the quarterfinals. Araneta will host the openers of the ROS-Converge and SMB-Ginebra series on Tuesday. Dasmariñas will welcome Games 3 of the same series on Tuesday, Nov. 3. No games will be held on Sunday, Nov. 1.

Because of the group format, no team has faced the other in the eliminations so the crossover battles provide a new twist. NLEX coach Jimmy Alapag will make his playoff debut with a lineup powered by Deonte Burton and guards DeSchon Winston, Robert Bolick and LJ Gonzales, all averaging in double figure points. Phoenix has lost four of its last five outings and is struggling without Jason Perkins, nursing a foot injury. If the Fuel Masters can hold their own on defense, they stand a chance. Coach Charles Tiu’s consolation is Phoenix is No. 2 in assists allowed and No. 4 in field goal percentage allowed.

Magnolia is No. 1 in defense and assists allowed, a testament to coach LA Tenorio’s focus. It’s the hottest team in the league with six wins in a row. Import KJ Buffen is shooting at a higher clip from three (53.3 percent) than two (49.6 percent) while averaging a double-double. TNT has lost twice in OT so the Tropa’s record isn’t as bad as it looks. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Jayson Castro are back in harness so coach Chot Reyes has to be pleased.

Converge is on a five-game win streak and with Serbian Djordje Jovicic taking an active role in calling the shots, the FiberXers are a dangerous contender. The stats reflect Converge’s ability to advance – it’s No. 1 in offense, field goal percentage, assists, rebounds, paint points, free throw percentage, least turnovers and fastbreak points. Five players are averaging in double figure points and Juan Gomez de Liaño has registered back-to-back triple doubles. Rain or Shine, however, is no pushover and coach Yeng Guiao’s unpredictable style is discomforting. ROS leads the league in bench points and 13 different players have started so far.

San Miguel has won five of its last six contests with George King riding high alongside June Mar Fajardo, CJ Perez and Don Trollano. But Ginebra appears to be peaking at the right time, coming off two straight wins. Jordan Murphy is a livewire on the floor and his energy has rubbed off on Troy Rosario, Scottie Thompson, RJ Abarrientos and Japeth Aguilar. Opposing coaches Leo Austria and Tim Cone are expected to deliver a classic series.