The Tigers fought with great resolve in their final game in the year and aided the Talk n Text Phone Pals in their own quarterfinals aspiration by derailing the Realtors.
With the Realtors closing their classification-round stint with 10 wins against eight losses, the Phone Pals could pull even as they take on the Barangay Ginebra Kings on Christmas Day.
"The game had no more bearing in our standing but we wanted to come out strong and enjoy playing together as a team," said Coca-Cola coach Binky Favis.
The Tigers finished ninth in the prelims with a 5-13 record.
They face a tremendous task of having to win four straight games to make it to the quarterfinals. They first need to sweep three games in the wildcard phase to get a crack at the playoff.
"It’s going to be tough for us to get into the quarters. But for as long as we have a game to play, we’ll go out and play together as a team," said Favis.