Four teams make last bid in Sunday thriller

The Talk n Text PBA Fiesta Cup elimination round gets into a climactic ending today with two teams eyeing a playoff for a semifinals berth, one looking for an outright quarterfinals slot and another one seeking a playoff for the last quarters seat.

It’s a Sunday thriller at the Araneta Coliseum with Barangay Ginebra and Air21 clashing at 4:05 p.m. then Talk n Text and San Miguel Beer slugging it out at 6:30 p.m.

The Kings and the Pals are both trying to catch up with the Alaska Milk Aces at second place at 12-6. The Express are out to clinch automatic slot in the Magic Five while the Beermen hope to forge a playoff with the Express for fifth place or the last outright seat in the quarters.

Air21 gained a full-game edge over San Miguel in their battle for fifth place following a 109-107 win in their fierce duel Wednesday. But that contest proved costly for the Express as they lost main man Gary David to an ACL tear.

David, the league leading local scorer averaging 23.1 points a game, immediately underwent surgery Friday. It could take David six months to fully recover.

The Beermen were already on the threshold of the quarterfinals when their amazing eight-game romp was stopped by the Express. San Miguel now needs to score two straight wins to reach the quarters without going through the wildcard.

But standing on its way is a Talk n Text team knocking on the semis door.

The Aces gained the inside track in the battle for No. 2 spot when they blasted the Sta. Lucia Realtors, 99-93, Friday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

Alaska eventually finishes second behind Red Bull and gains automatic entry into the semis if Talk n Text and Ginebra lose to San Miguel Beer and Air21, respectively, tonight.

A win by either Talk n Text or Ginebra necessitates a playoff for the second outright semis seat.

A three-way tie for second among Alaska, Talk n Text and Ginebra ensues if both the Pals and Kings win. 

In this case, Ginebra, with the inferior quotient, automatically settles for a quarterfinals berth while Alaska and Talk n Text slug it out in a playoff to decide which team joins Red Bull in an early passage to the semis.