Last ticket at stake

The single elimination round of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup ended last Friday with a triple tie for first and a triple tie for seventh. Barangay Ginebra, San Miguel Beer and Star finished with identical 9-2 records while Phoenix, Alaska and GlobalPort wound up with 4-7 slates.

Under the rules, a tie for second will be broken only by the quotient system (points for divided by points against) and a tie for eighth will be settled by the quotient system and/or a one-game playoff. So Ginebra took pole position with a 1.12 quotient or a +23 factor as it beat San Miguel by eight and Star by 15. San Miguel settled for second place with a .990 quotient and a -2 factor while Star dropped to third with a .903 quotient and a -21 factor. Both Ginebra and San Miguel will enjoy a twice-to-beat advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

To break the logjam for seventh, the teams were ranked according to quotients. Phoenix claimed the No. 7 spot by virtue of a 1.1265 quotient over Alaska’s 1.1156 and GlobalPort’s .790. In terms of plusminus factors, Phoenix and Alaska were tied at +20 but the Fuel Masters had a higher quotient because they beat the Aces by eight. GlobalPort posted a -40 factor, losing to Alaska by 28 and Phoenix by 12.

A one-game playoff is set at the MOA Arena tonight for Alaska and GlobalPort to decide which team clinches the No. 8 spot and the last ticket to the quarterfinals. The loser falls to No. 9 and joins Mahindra, Blackwater and NLEX by the wayside. Awaiting the survivor is a twice-to-win disadvantage against No. 1 Ginebra.

** * * Alaska crushed GlobalPort, 107-79, in their elimination meeting last March 18 but the result is hardly indicative of the likely outcome tonight. In that game, GlobalPort’s import was Sean Williams – now the Batang Pier has Justin Harper in harness. Terrence Romeo didn’t play and Sean Anthony, Bradwyn Guinto and Jonathan Grey were still with other teams. For Alaska, Vic Manuel, Jvee Casio and Dondon Hontiveros weren’t available. Manuel and Hontiveros are now back in active duty but Casio remains doubtful with a hamstring issue.

Alaska has lost seven in a row after a 4-0 start and coach Alex Compton is begging for defensive consistency until the final buzzer. Against Star last Wednesday, the Aces were in the driver’s seat 80 percent of the way but faltered down the stretch and lost by four in overtime. Alaska blew a 21-point lead in the third period in the process. In the Aces’ four elimination round wins, they held opponents to an average of 92 points but in their seven losses, it ballooned to 103.7. In league standings, Alaska is No. 1 in steals (8.8), turnover points (21.8) and opponents’ turnovers (19.8) but it’s last in rebounding (46.6) and the inability to execute offensively has led to harrowing losses in botched closers.

Seven Aces are averaging at least 20 minutes so Compton is giving equal opportunity for his players to deliver. But the locals with the most exposure (Simon Enciso and Kevin Racal) are averaging only a combined 12.3 points and 5.7 rebounds. They’ve got to be more productive as Enciso is hitting a lowly 15.8 percent from beyond the arc and Racal, 27.3 percent. Chris Banchero is shooting only 9.1 percent from three-point distance but more than his outside sniping, Compton relies on him to penetrate and create. Banchero is averaging 9.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists.

For Alaska to beat GlobalPort, the Aces must use their size to force a physical confrontation. Calvin Abueva, Sonny Thoss, Manuel and Cory Jefferson should take the game inside the paint where GlobalPort is most vulnerable. The Aces must also deploy their pesky backcourt defenders like Chris Exciminiano and Banchero to harass Romeo and Stanley Pringle so they either lose possession or pass the ball instead of shoot it.

** * * For GlobalPort to beat Alaska, coach Franz Pumaren might want to borrow a few tricks from the Golden State Warriors playbook on how to screen for Romeo like they screen for Steph Curry. With Golden State, Curry is sometimes given two picks in ball-screens to get free for either a triple or a pass to two roller options. It’s critical for the ball not to stay in Romeo’s hands too long or in Pringle’s. The key is to keep the ball moving so Alaska has less chance of trapping and forcing turnovers.

Turn to Page 17