By Jonas Terrado
Games Today
(Cuneta Astrodome)
4:30 p.m. – Meralco vs Phoenix
7 p.m. – Alaska vs San Miguel
Phoenix aims for another breakthrough moment in its young existence while Alaska hopes to slay the ghost of past heartbreaks against San Miguel Beer when they take a crack at a semifinals berth today in the PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinals at the Cuneta Astrodome.
The second ranked Fuel Masters are eager to beat the No. 7 Meralco Bolts in the 4:30 p.m. curtain raiser while the No. 3 seed Aces seek to weather off the strong challenge of the sixth placer Beermen at 7 p.m..
Both Phoenix and Alaska carry twice-to-beat advantages as a reward for finishing the elimination round inside the top four.
Getting a win will give Phoenix its first-ever semifinal stint since the franchise bought the Barako Bull franchise two years ago.
Behind import Eugene Phelps, Calvin Abueva, Matthew Wright and LA Revilla, Phoenix posted its best conference in team history at 8-3, perhaps a sign that the Louie Alas-coached squad has established itself a force to be reckon with.
Wright believes that getting the twice-to-beat bonus is only the start of brighter things in store.
“We’re not just thinking playoffs, we’re thinking finals and we’re thinking of championships,” Wright said.
But before they get ahead of themselves, the Fuel Masters are bracing for a determined challenge from the Bolts, who survived a 1-6 start by winning their final four games to claim a quarters berth.
Reigning Best Import Allen Durham, Chris Newsome, Baser Amer and Cliff Hodge lead Meralco’s quest to force a knockout match on Friday.
Meanwhile, coach Alex Compton and the Aces are probably thinking at the back of their minds the series of defeat the franchise absorbed three finals setback to the Beermen between 2015 to 2016.
