MANILA, Philippines - The Smart Bro PBA Philippine Cup elimination round is heading for a wild finish with fierce battles up for the Top Two, the Top Six and the Magic 10.
Alaska Milk, Rain or Shine, San Miguel Beer and Talk n Text are locked in a tight fight for the first and second which guarantee outright Final Four entry.
Meanwhile, Mahindra, Star, Blackwater and Meralco are the teams looking to slug it out to avoid the last two spots or early elimination in the all-Filipino tourney.
The Aces, the Elasto Painters and the Beermen are tied in the lead at 6-1, and they’ve gotten the inside track in the race for the Top Two, with the Texters nursing some hopes at 4-2.
Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao feels two more wins will enable anyone among the three front-runners to gain automatic semis berth.
With their 4-3 card at joint fifth with NLEX, Globalport coach Pido Jarencio has given up hopes for the first and second spots.
“We’ll be happy to be in the Top Six and we’ll take it from there,” said Jarencio.
While the Top Two automatically advance to the Final Four, the next four enjoy twice-to-beat advantage in the first phase of the quarterfinals versus teams No. 7, No. 8, No. 9 and No. 10.
The winners then move to the second phase of the quarters which is a pair of best-of-three series.
Alaska coach Alex Compton dreads going through that grind.
“We have a lot of tough games ahead and I don’t know if any of them will get to be easy. Every team in the league would love (outright semis passage),” he said.
“Last year, we got through the tough quarters phase as we’re beaten in a quotient for the Top Two by San Miguel and Rain or Shine,” he added.
Curiously, the three teams are again in a neck-and-neck battle for the top.
But unlike last year, breaking a tie for No. 2 now requires a playoff match.
Same is the case in logjams for 10th spot.
The elims could really be headed for a wild, woolly finish.
Alaska has Meralco, Rain or Shine, San Miguel and Barako Bull as final assignments.
Aside from their game against the Aces, the E-Painters will still go through matches versus the Tropang Texters, the Bolts and the Road Warriors.
The Beermen will still deal with the Enforcers, the Road Warriors, the Texters and the Aces.
TNT has five more games against Barako Bull, Rain or Shine, SMB, Globaport and Ginebra.