The final four-eye advantage of Game 1 in the semi finals of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup
Games on Wednesday
(Ynares Center-Antipolo)
5:15 pm – Meralco vs TNT (Semis Game 1)
7:30 pm – Ginebra vs Rain or Shine (Semis Game 1)
THIS is not like the previous quarterfinals stage, where there was a built-in limit of one win, or in TNT’s case, a double win-to-win disadvantage.
So it’s up to the top players in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals to try to gain whatever advantage they can in what could be a potential battle.
And with the final four set to begin on Wednesday, the immediate goal will be to take a 1-0 lead in the race to the fourth and perhaps set the right tone for the rest of the program.
Eighth-seeded defending champion Tropang 5G, which recently dropped two games back over top seed NLEX, and No. 4 Meralco, who survived the sudden death against No.
No. 2 Barangay Ginebra and No. 3 Rain or Shine (ROS), two teams on the verge of a heartbreak, are looking for the same when they fire the first shot at their home side at 7:30 p.m.
It doesn’t face a do-or-die situation like last time in the quarters but equally, TNT led by Bol Bol doesn’t feel threatened in the slightest.
“As a complete team, they played at a very high level,” Tropang 5G coach Chot Reyes said of Meralco, recalling how the latter defeated his troops in the elims, 108-99.
“They have a lot of offensive weapons that we have in our hands to defend well and rebound. And they are one of the stronger teams and you see how the teams play Bol so we have to be able to deal with that and deal with that. They are very well trained, and, so yes, our work is on us.”
The two sister teams but fierce rivals for the MVP Team are vying for a seat in the finals for the second straight conference. TNT beat Meralco at the same stage in the previous Philippine Cup, 4-1, but the Bolts feel they can compete better this time around.
“It’s obvious that they deserve to go to the finals and it’s hard to beat them in a seven-game series. But the way we’re playing, we should be there,” said advisor Luigi Trillo.
Import Marvin Jones and Cliff Hodge are expected to get the main responsibility of defending Mr. Bol while Chris Newsome, CJ Cansino, Chris Banchero, Jason Brickman and Bong Quinto take care of business against TNT locals like Calvin Oftana, RR Pogoy and Jayson Castro.
“If this series takes a long time, now we have the depth to match their guards,” said Mr. Trillo.
Meanwhile, Tim Cone and the Gin Kings prepare for battle against ROS’ Yeng Guiao and his henchmen.
“We know how hard it is to go up against Yeng Guiao and his teams. They play the game very hard and very fast and they compete all the time. They can eliminate you in a seven-game series because of their deep bench and who they go to,” said Mr Cone.
The Gin Kings also hoped the five-day layoff gave Justin Brownlee enough time to recover after suffering a “tweak” in his hamstring during their 112-81 win over Phoenix. – Olmin Leyba
