by Jonas Terrado
Six teams are still in contention for the two remaining quarterfinal berths going into the last two playdates of the PBA Philippine Cup eliminations.
NLEX and Alaska share seventh and eighth places at 4-6, Columbian ended the elims at 4-7, NorthPort holds a 3-6 slate while Meralco is desperate to stay alive with its 3-7 record.
Three of the final four elimination matches will decide the fate of these teams.
Alaska and NorthPort square off and Meralco takes on Barangay Ginebra San Miguel tomorrow (Wednesday) at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The PBA will shift its focus on the All-Star Weekend in Calasiao, Pangasinan before action resumes on April 3 with a doubleheader featuring NLEX against Magnolia and NorthPort facing Ginebra at the Big Dome.
NLEX and Alaska need to win their final games in the elims to secure at least a playoff for the eighth and final quarters slot.
Columbian is praying that one of the remaining scenarios will give them a chance to play a do-or-die playoff for the No. 8 seed.
NorthPort, which ended a six-game skid with Sunday’s stunning 109-83 rout of TNT KaTropa at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, must win its final two games to clinch a quarterfinals berth.
On the other hand, Meralco has no other choice but to beat Ginebra and also hope that it can still have a chance of forcing a playoff for the eighth spot in the quarters.
Phoenix Pulse (9-2) and Rain or Shine (8-3) are assured of the twice-to-beat advantage in the quarters, the latter securing the bonus following TNT’s loss.
Ginebra (6-3), TNT (7-4) and defending champion San Miguel (7-4) are assured of playing a best-of-three while Magnolia (5-5) is trying to avoid falling into a twice-to-beat disadvantage despite clinching a quarters slot.
