Games Tomorrow
(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
4:15 p.m. – Star vs Mahindra
7 p.m. – Rain or Shine vs Alaska
The fate of two teams involved in a blockbuster trade prior to the season will be the main attraction in the final two games of the elimination round in the PBA Philippine Cup as Star and Rain or Shine take the stage with hopes of accomplishing their goal.
In a deal that left basketball observers stunned when former two-time MVP James Yap – considered the face of the franchise – was shipped by Star to Rain or Shine in exchange for rising star Paul Lee, the two teams are now caught up in a complicated scenario going to the playoffs.
“Maganda pa din naman yung posisyon namin,” said Lee, who played six years for RoS and won finals MVP honors when the franchise bagged the Commissioner’s Cup title last season. “Kahit papano nasa kamay pa namin kung san kami pwedeng mapunta sa playoffs.”
“Ang kailangan muna namin is mai-panalo yung last game. Kung suwertehin, baka mag-No. 2 pa kami. Siempre hindi magiging madali yun pero yun nga, nasa sa amin na naman yun kung gusto talaga namin makuha yung twice-to-beat,” added the 6-foot-1 guard from Tondo, Manila.
Lee and the Hotshots are on a roll, having won their last three matches, including a 47-point beating of the Meralco Bolts (120-73) where Allein Maliksi fired 25 points, Lee added 15 points and Aldrech Ramos had 13 last Saturday in Antipolo City.
The final day of elimination will have Star facing Mahindra in the curtainraiser at 4:15 p.m. tomorrow, before Rain or Shine takes on in-form Alaska in the main game at 7 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Of the two games, Star appears to have the lighter opponent since Mahindra is already out of the quarterfinal playoff race. Veteran forward Marc Pingris, however, wants the Hotshots to still go hard to get the win.
“Hindi mo masabi e, maski naman out na ang isang team todo pa din yan. So kailangan kami tomodo din, lalo ang nakataya sa amin e possible No. 2 kaya mas dapat naming pagbutihan, mas kailangan na all-out kami,” said Pingris.
There is only one playoff berth left to be disputed since all seven spots have already been filled.
Defending champion San Miguel Beer leads the quarterfinalists with a 10-1 win-loss record, while GlobalPort, Phoenix Fuel, TNT KaTropa and Governors’ Cup champion Barangay Ginebra San Miguel are tied with 6-5 win-loss cards.
Out of the running are Mahindra (3-7), Meralco (3-8) and NLEX (2-9).
Alaska and Star are currently tied for second and third spots in the standings with identical 6-4 records, while RoS is at solo eighth with 5-5. Blackwater still has a chance for a playoff for No. 8 as it carries a 5-6 slate.
A victory by both Alaska and Star will tie the two squads at 7-4, and since the Aces defeated the Hotshots (97-90) last Jan. 11, the team of coach Alex Compton – by virtue of the ‘winner-over-the-other’ rule – will get the second spot in the playoffs that carries a twice-to-beat bonus.
One way for Star to get the No. 2 slot is for Alaska to lose against Rain or Shine.
Another possibility is if the two teams drop their final games, which would create an extraordinary seven-way tie at 6-5 with Star claiming No. 2 due to a superior quotient. Alaska will slide to No. 3, GlobalPort No. 4, TNT No. 5, RoS No. 6, Ginebra No. 7 and Phoenix No. 8.
A setback by Rain or Shine will force the team to play an extra game – a playoff encounter versus Blackwater on Friday to determine the No. 8 spot and the winner facing a tough task of beating SMB twice in order to make the semifinals.
The Elasto Painters, though, can avert that playoff encounter and eliminate the Elite right away with a victory over the Aces. If it does, RoS will end up No. 6 and will still face No. 3 Alaska in a best-of-three quarterfinal series.