Christmas Day Special Kings, B Pier seek to advance

Games today (MOA Arena)

4:15 p.m. – Globalport vs Barako Bull

7 p.m. – Star vs Barangay Ginebra

MANILA, Philippines – Barangay Ginebra and Globalport, bannered by their respective vaunted duos, take their first crack at stage two of the Smart Bro PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals when they take on lower-seeded rivals Star and Barako Bull in a special Christmas Day twinbill at the MOA Arena.

The Gin Kings and the Hotshots face off in a duel of elite teams at 7 p.m., succeeding the 4:15 p.m. tussle between the Batang Pier and the Energy, two teams who are in pursuit of a breakthrough finish in the tourney.

Winners of these matchups clash in a one-game playoff for the right to play top seed Alaska Milk in a best-of-seven semifinal showdown.

Ginebra and Globalport are the odds-on picks with their crucial twice-to-beat advantage and the talents and skills brought in by their lead stars.

The towering frontline tandem of Greg Slaughter and Japeth Aguilar provide Ginebra huge matchup advantage versus Star and so do the amazing backcourt combination of Terrence Romeo and Stanley Pringle for Globalport against Barako Bull.

But it’s playoff time that no team can’t be taken for granted.

Ginebra coach Tim Cone says they have all the reasons to be wary of the Hotshots, his former team that rewarded him a four-peat from 2013 to 2014.

“Those Purefoods players, obviously, know how to play in the playoffs. They know how to get themselves ready for the playoffs. Of all the teams out there, I think they’re the toughest team because they are veterans and they know how to play and they can put a couple of really good games together,” Cone said.

“They handled us so easily the first time we played them. Hopefully, we are a better team and we understand a little bit more what we want to do,” Cone also said.    

James Yap and his teammates sprang out strong off the starting block and pushed themselves hard all throughout in an 86-78 demolition of the Gin Kings in their elimination-round tussle.

Curiously, that was the Hotshots’ best showing thus far in a struggle under rookie coach Jason Webb.

“We haven’t found a way to win back-to-back games. If there’s a time for it to come, it’s now,” said Webb.

“We need three straight wins to make the semis. “It won’t be easy. It’s a different course (for the Star team),” Webb also said.

The Globalport-Barako tiff is an exciting aperitif to the Ginebra-Star setto.

Both the Batang Pier and the Energy ache to go deep into the playoffs, something that they haven’t done.

Globalport has yet to make a Final Four appearance since joining the league in 2012. Same is Barako’s case since changing name from Air21.

The game will feature exciting matchups that include Pringle versus RR Garcia, Romeo versus Chico Lanete, Joseph Yeo against JC Intal, Rico Maierhofer opposite Willy Wilson and Doug Kramer versus Mick Pennisi.

“We’re ready for the playoffs. We’ve prepared the team offensively and defensively,” said Globalport coach Pido Jarencio.

In the elims, the Batang Pier walloped the Energy, 105-91.