Quarterfinal duels under way

MANILA, Philippines - Elimination-round runners-up B-MEG Derby Ace, Alaska Milk and Barangay Ginebra plunge back into action today, joined in by wildcard round survivor in the race for the last two slots in the 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference Final Four.

The Llamados, the Philippine Cup champions who narrowly missed an outright semis passage, tangle with the Elasto Painters at 5 p.m. then the Aces and the Kings clash at 7:30 p.m. at the start of the best-of-five quarterfinals matchups at the Araneta Coliseum.

Derby Ace, being the All-Filipino Cup champion and having a much better run in the elims despite an injury-plagued lineup, is favored over late-bloomer Rain or Shine.

The odds are about equal in the Alaska-Ginebra showdown whose winner advances to the semifinals against elimination-round topnotcher Talk n Text.

Playoffs second seed San Miguel Beer takes on the winner in the Derby Ace-Rain or Shine duel.

Though seeded three rungs higher and the odds heavily stacked on their side, the third-ranked Llamados are taking the Elasto Painters with a lot of caution.

“We respect Rain or Shine. We know their strengths and their capabilities. We cannot be complacent. We must be vigilant at all times,” said Derby Ace coach Ryan Gregorio. “We don’t consider us as the overwhelming favorites. A lot of work is required to beat them.”

Riding the momentum of a two-game run in the wildcards, the Elasto Painters ooze with confidence they can compete with the Llamados.

“They have the height, the quickness and advantages in other departments. But it will be all about competing. We’ll be there to give them a good fight,” said RoS coach Caloy Garcia.

“We like our chance against them,” Garcia added.

“It’s likely to be offense versus defense.

“The battle cry is to play defense the Derby Ace way. Choking, no let-up and physical defense is needed against a highly athletic team,” said Gregorio.

The other matchup is seen as a battle between size and speed.

“We have to control the tempo and get the ball inside to exploit our size,” said Alaska coach Tim Cone with a tall lineup featuring import Diamon Simpson, Sonny Thoss and Joe Devance.

“The key is for us to contend with their size and physical advantage,” said coach Jong Uichico whose Ginebra team is strong at the backcourt with players like Mark Caguioa, Willie Miller and Jayjay Helterbrand.

The Kings will be back in action after winning a playoff match with the Elasto Painters for the last outright seat in the quarters last Friday.

Chris Daniels had a solid debut with the Kings then, coming through with 19 points, 19 rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks without a single turnover in 31 minutes of play.

While still playing with another import, the Kings split with the Aces their two matches in the elimination round.

Derby Ace swept RoS in the elims, posting a 76-67 victory in the first match then repeating with an 86-84 decision.