By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
With the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup playoffs nearing, two teams are left vying for the eighth and final spot.
The Phoenix Super LPG and the defending champions Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel are ready for the final elimination battle as both teams will slug it out for the eighth spot of the tournament where the winner will face the no. 1 squad TNT Tropang Giga who already holds a twice-to-beat advantage.
Due to the NLEX Road Warriors’ and Alaska Aces’ losses in their must-win games, Ginebra and Phoenix found a new lease in life that sparked their chances of another playoff spot in the PBA.
These two teams already met during the regular season with Ginebra rallying from a 19-point deficit to grab the come-from-behind win, 94-87.
Looking back at their previous matchup, the surging Jason Perkins of Phoenix imposed his will as he had an easy time scoring baskets underneath against the loose Ginebra defense.
Will he repeat his performance?
If he can, the coach Topex Robinson-led squad will have high chances of eliminating the defending champs given the shaky situation they are in with Scottie Thompson joining Japeth Aguilar on the injured list.
On the other hand, Ginebra clawed their way back into the game behind the efforts of the ever-reliable Stanley Pringle on offense and a vintage performance from LA Tenorio.
With consistency as one of their biggest rivals this season, Ginebra will have to lean on one another if they want to outrun the younger Phoenix team.
Ginebra will also rely on Aljon Mariano and Jared Dilinger to provide key contributions to springboard them into the playoffs.
During their offensive comeback in their game against Phoenix, Mariano and Dilinger’s defense became key factors down the stretch.
With the quicker Mariano taking over defending duties against Perkins, Ginebra made a run that deadlocked the game with five minutes left in the fourth.
Meanwhile, Dilinger stalked Phoenix’s main gunner Matthew Wright each time he caught the basketball and called for a play.
Coach Tim Cone put the defensive duo inside the hardcourt way past their average playing time as both had immense impacts on the game.
Will Phoenix adjust coming from a disappointing loss to Ginebra? Will they calm down and execute plays as employed by Robinson? Or will Ginebra come surging once again with their never-say-die attitude?
Another PBA action-packed schedule is here to delight us. We’ll know the results 4:35 PM today.
