Anybody’s game as Unity Cup enters homestretch

From the inaugural game down the last, the Philippine Basketball League Unity Cup has been drawing a lot of attention.

With a pair of matches to go, all the remaining six teams have a chance of joining Viva-FEU and Welcoat Paints in the semifinals with defending champion Hapee Toothpaste and Sunkist-UST playing each other tomorrow for the No. 3 spot and a twice-to-beat edge in the quarterfinals.

The Teeth Sparklers, however, have an ally in the Toyota Otis-Letran Knights, who are praying hard the former would win over the Tigers in their 2 p.m. encounter at the Blue Eagles Gym since this would give them No. 4 spot and the other twice-to-beat advantage.

If this happens, Sunkist-UST plays Montana Pawnshop and Blustar Detergent clashes with Lee Pipes-Ateneo in a pair of do-or-die games on Thursday with the winners taking Hapee and Toyota Otis in the quarters, respectively.

On the other hand, if Sunkist prevails, Hapee still clinches No. 4 and the crucial playoff upperhand, with Toyota playing Blustar and Montana taking on Lee Pipes for the third time this conference.

The winner of the Toyota-Blustar duel faces Sunkist-UST while the victor in the Montana-Lee Pipes showdown tackles Hapee.

"We’re happy with how things are turning out this conference, every game counts until the last one," said Butch Maniego, one of commissioner Chino Trinidad’s right hand men who drew the tournament format this conference.

The Water Force and the Paint Masters are currently atop the heap with 8-1 and 6-3 (win-loss) slates with the Tigers and the Teeth Sparklers at joint third with a 4-5 record apiece. The Detergent Kings, Eagles, Knights and Jewels are bunched a shade behind the top four squads with identical 4-6 cards thanks to crucial triumphs by Lee Pipes and Toyota Otis over Montana and Blustar, respectively.

The Eagles drew huge game from birthday boy Larry Fonacier in smashing the Jewels, 65-49, while the Knights leaned on the pair of Ronjay Enrile and Dennis Daa in trouncing the Detergent Kings, 64-60, last Saturday at the Letran Gym to live for another day.

Under the format, the Final Four teams will bring into the semifinals their elimination round record and will play each other twice, with the top two battling each other in a best-of-five series.

However, a team who could win four of its six semis outings clinches a playoff with the eventual No. 2 for the last finals berth. The loser then clash No. 4 in a knockout duel for third place.