Knights face Pirates for finals berth
Ray Parks Jr. tries to help coleader TNT KaTropa secure a twice-to-beat advantage as he debuts for his new team against Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Attention in the 7 p.m. match will center on Parks, who was traded by the Blackwater Elite in exchange for Don Trollano, Tony Semerad and a 2021 first round draft pick.
TNT enters the match hoping to get back on the winning track after its 7-0 start ended two weeks ago with a 116103 loss to fellow pacesetter NLEX at the same venue.
The KaTropa also play for the first time since Jayson Castro was sidelined for at least a month due to an ankle injury suffered against the Road Warriors. Parks will likely fill the void left by Castro as he aims to replicate his 23-game average with Blackwater dating back to his PBA debut in the Commissioner’s Cup of 21.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals. He will also look to exact vengeance on Ginebra after absorbing a 101-93 loss in his final appearance with Blackwater last Oct. 30 at the Cuneta Astrodome. Ginebra, meanwhile, needs a victory in order to stay in the race for the twice-tobeat incentive given to the top four teams after the eliminations. Sunday’s 101-77 defeat at the hands of Meralco last Sunday dropped Ginebra’s record to 5-3 while San Miguel climbed to solo fourth with Wednesday’s 99-96 overtime win over Blackwater. Meralco hopes to tighten its grip on the top spot against Columbian in the opener set at 4:30 p.m.
The Bolts are determined to ride on the momentum of their lopsided victories over the Beermen and Ginebra and improve their third-best 6-2 mark against the Dyip. Columbian enters the game in solo seventh position at 4-5.
Games Today
(Cuneta Astrodome)
1 p.m. – SSC-R vs Lyceum (Jrs) 4 p.m. – Lyceum vs Letran (Srs)
Letran and Lyceum, two neighboring teams inside the historic "Walled City" of Intramuros, dispute the second finals berth in the stepladder playoffs of NCAA Season 95 today at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.
Lyceum is seeking a third straight finals stint after losing twice to San Beda in the championship series the previous two years, while Letran is eyeing a return trip to the finals after winning it all in 2015.
The third seeded Knights arranged a do-or-die match against the No. 2 Pirates after a thrilling 85-80 win against the San Sebastian Stags in the first phase of the playoffs last Tuesday.
With just two days rest, Letran returns to action when it clashes at 4 p.m. with well-rested Lyceum, which last played Oct. 17 against defending three-time champion San Beda.
The winner will face the Red Lions in a best-of-three showdown starting Tuesday at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena.
San Beda claimed an outright finals spot following an 18-0 sweep of the eliminations.
Letran mentor Bonnie Tan, who coached Lyceum during the school’s early years in the NCAA, is upbeat about going to the ‘KO’ match despite the Knights’ 0-2 record against the Pirates in the elimination round.
“It's a big challenge for us to play Lyceum in a do-or-die... hindi pa kami nanalo sa kanila this season,” said Tan.
“Pero may kasabihan, may tira, may tsamba. Nandito na kami, subukan na namin.”