Waiting in the wings
While four teams will shed blood, sweat and tears in a pair of knockout games in the PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight, Phoenix and Rain Or Shine are waiting in the wings, ready to strike against the weary survivors when the semifinals begin on Friday.
It’s 1-1 in both best-of-3 quarterfinal series so the clinchers will come one after the other in a thriller of a doubleheader where the PBA is treating the fans with a birthday celebration. The PBA marked its 44th birthday yesterday but since there were no games scheduled, it’ll be a one-day delayed celebration. Tonight, the first four patrons to show proof that their birthdays were on April 9, 1975 will be given four lower box tickets each and the first 44 of those born in 1975, regardless of month, will receive a free upper box B ticket plus snacks from Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. Patrons must line up at the yellow gate to prove their birthdays. Additionally, the first 44 patrons in line at the red gate will receive one upper box B ticket each. It’ll also be a raffle 44 and Hero’s Day. The PBA will pick 44 lucky ticket holders to win prizes from the PBA and its partners in raffles at the half of each game and will honor war veterans at courtside with special gifts. Phoenix and Rain Or Shine were first
to qualify for the semis, disposing of their matchups in the quarterfinals where they had a twice-to-beat advantage by virtue of a 1-2 finish in the eliminations. Phoenix wound up solo first at 9-2 and Rain Or Shine, solo second at 8-3.
Last Sunday, the Elasto Painters struck out NorthPort, 91-85 and the Fuel Masters whipped Alaska, 91-76 to advance to the best-of-7 semis. Rain Or Shine will play the Magnolia-Barangay Ginebra survivor while Phoenix will battle the TNT-San Miguel Beer winner in separate semis series.
TNT could’ve swept San Miguel but lost an 80-78 heartbreaker in Game 1 last Saturday. The KaTropa led 75 percent of the way and did an outstanding job of limiting five-time MVP JuneMar Fajardo until the last few minutes. Fajardo scored San Miguel’s last five points to ice it. TNT had more rebounds, 59-51, more free throws made, 21-7 and more assists 19-17 but couldn’t match San Miguel’s balanced attack.
In the rematch last Monday, TNT held Marcio Lassiter and Arwind Santos to five points each then struck hard from beyond the arc, hitting 10 triples to San Miguel’s five while dominating the boards to win, 93-88. Fajardo got away with 26 points and 19 rebounds but appeared to play hurt in the dying minutes. Jayson Castro delivered 19 points and nine assists to lead the TNT charge. It was his kick-out to Troy Rosario for a three that settled the outcome down the stretch. Rosario and R. R. Pogoy continued their hot streak in the series, averaging a combined 37 points.
In the other series, Ginebra got the drop on Magnolia in Game 1, 86-75, as Greg Slaughter and Japeth Aguilar registered double-doubles. Ginebra dominated the Hotshots in rebounds, 58-45, assists, 26-14, points in the paint, 60-34, bench, 42-31 and field goal percentage, 43.9 to 35. But in Game 2, Slaughter and Aguilar took the night off, finishing with five points apiece. L. A. Tenorio, who had 10 points in 35:52 minutes in Game 1, shot only five points in 24:26 in Game 2. Magnolia came storming back to crush Ginebra, 106-77, in a display of swashbuckling basketball. It was a complete reversal from Game 1 and this time, Magnolia was on top in nearly every department, including rebounds, 53-49, assists, 20-17, fastbreaks, 18-4, triples made, 11-6, second chance points, 22-8 and points in the paint, 48-36. Worse, Ginebra never led in the contest.
Obviously, the teams in better condition, in better health, will win their series. If Slaughter and Aguilar don’t play up to par, Magnolia will breeze in Game 3 without difficulty. Ginebra coach Tim Cone can’t afford to allow Jio Jalalon to score 20, Robbie Herndon 18 and Ian Sangalang 21 tonight like they did in Game 3. Ginebra will want to keep the scores low and control the pace in its typical grind-out fashion. Defense will win for Ginebra, not offense. In Game 2, giving up 106 points to Magnolia had to be a nightmare for Cone.
For San Miguel, Fajardo’s health is a concern. Although Christian Standhardinger is back in harness, the Beermen are a different team without a 100 percent Fajardo. Santos is due for a breakout as he hasn’t scored in double figures in two playoff games so far. If he plays to form and Lassiter finds his range, TNT will be hard-pressed to gamble by doubling the post. Like Ginebra, TNT wins with defense and it’s San Miguel’s challenge to crack that wall.
It’s a special treat for PBA fans tonight. Two KO games are in the schedule so expect a war on the floor as players slug it out to survive and live for another series.