STANDINGS
TEAMS W L
v-TNT* 9 1
v-San Miguel 8 3
v-Ginebra 8 3
w-Meralco** 6 5
w-Mahindra** 6 5
x-Alaska 6 5
x-NLEX 5 6
y-Phoenix 5 6
y-Rain or Shine 5 6
z-GlobalPort 4 7
z-Star 2 9
z-Blackwater 1 10
v — Pasok sa QF 2x to beat
w — Playoff sa QF 2x to beat
x — Quarterfinalists
y — Playoff sa 8th spot
z — Eliminated
Games ngayon: (Smart Araneta Coliseum)
4:15 p.m. — Meralco vs. Mahindra
7:00 p.m. — Phoenix vs. Rain or Shine
Dadaklutin ng Rain or Shine at Phoenix Petroleum ang eight and last quarterfinals berth habang fourth spot at final twice-to-beat bonus ang pagrarambulan ng Meralco at Mahindra sa double playoffs ngayon ng PBA Governors’ Cup sa Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Alas-siyete ng gabi ang patayan ng RoS at PP na may parehas na 5-6 records kaya natokang paglabu-labuhan ang last berth sa next round. Patok ang RoS na pinatilapon ang PP sa eliminasyon nu’ng Hulyo 23, 106-89.
Galing pa ang RoS sa 108-97 pagtabig sa Star nu’ng Biyernes samantalang nasa kambal na tagtuyot ang Phoenix. Pero hindi ito ang nasisilip ng una sa huli.
“Phoenix is a complete team with arguably the most prolific import. It’s capable of beating any team in this league. But we are determined to salvage at least a quarterfinals appearance for the last of the conference this season,” talata ni Elasto Painters coach Yeng Guiao.
“I dont think we are ready to take a vacation this early. We are just getting our rhythm lately so the longer we stay alive the better we will play,” dagdag ni Guiao laban sa Fuel Masters na huling sumemplang sa Ginebra, 96-87.
Alas-4:15 ng hapon ng latiguhan ng Meralco at Mahindra na mga tinapos ang single round eliminations sa identical 6-5 win-loss slates, aktwal na kahilera ang Alaska Milk pero umupo na sa No. 6 ang Aces dahil sa inferior quotient.
Wagi rin ang Meralco sa Mahindra sa elims nu’ng Setyembre 11, 86-83, pero aminado ang una na hindi madaling ang kanilang landas para sa insentibo kahit pang sabihing nasa three-game slide ang huli.
“We are expecting a tough match up with Mahindra. They have played well this conference and they are well coached,” dakdak ni coach Norman Black.
“Our biggest concern is (James) White who has been a force on both ends of the court this conference. Defending the penetrations of (LA) Revilla while also challenging the outside shooting of KG (Canaleta) and (Aldrech) Ramos will also be key,” dugtong pa niya.
May napulot na nga lang na aral ang Mahindra sa nakalipas na tatlong dikit na talo na tutuntungan para mapagtagumpayan ang isang ito at mapabuti ang asam na makaabot sa semifinals.
“Our last three losses provided valuable lessons for our very first playoff appearance.
We learned we have to maintain our level of consistency with our transition games as well as making sure we maximize each possession and staying mentally tough especially in the endgame,” salaysay ni Enforcer lead assistant coach Chris Gavina. “I feel we have prepared harder and smarter than we have all conference and looking forward to tomorrow.”