By JONAS TERRADO
Games Sunday
(AUF Gym powered by Smart 5G)
10 a.m. – Blackwater vs Rain or Shine
1 p.m. – Meralco vs Terrafirma
4 p.m. – Magnolia vs NorthPort
6:45 p.m. – Ginebra vs San Miguel
Barangay Ginebra doesn’t see defending five-time champion San Miguel Beer’s current slump as an advantage as the two teams meet in another high-profile duel on Sunday in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Angeles University Foundation Sports and Cultural Center.
Ginebra goes for an eighth win in 10 games and possibly secure the first twice-to-beat advantage in the 6:45 p.m. match against a Beermen side dealing with an alarming situation of having dropped its last two games.
The Ginebra-SMB showdown caps off the league’s fourth quadrupleheader in the last five days.
Skidding Rain or Shine battles Blackwater in the 10 a.m. opener, Meralco plays Terrafirma at 1 p.m. and Magnolia takes on NorthPort at 4 p.m.
Ginebra is on a roll following three consecutive victories, including Friday’s 85-79 win over TNT that enabled them to grab the top spot in the standings.
SMB, on the other hand, is in a precarious situation after dropping the last two games marred by a disappointing 124-90 defeat to NLEX also last Friday.
Ginebra coach Tim Cone said he and his team can’t be fooled by SMB’s current form.
“I can’t think of the worst time to play them after they got beat badly by another opponent. That’s absolutely the worst time to play San Miguel,” said Cone. “We’re not looking forward to it. But it’s a challenge and we’re gonna try to take it on.”
Once again the player to watch for Ginebra is Stanley Pringle, who scored 28 points and 12 rebounds against TNT in another sterling performance.
Pringle is averaging 20.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists in nine games this conference to emerge as one of the best players of the season.
Beating Ginebra will be more important than ever for SMB, which at presstime has a 5-4 record for seventh place.
SMB can’t afford another loss that may not only cost a top four finish and a twice-to-beat advantage but a distant possibility of a stunning end to its half-decade long title reign via a failure to make the playoffs.
