‘Practice game’

Terrence Romeo of TNT drives past Rain or Shine star James Yap. —AUGUST DELA CRUZ

There was not much at stake for either TNT KaTropa or Rain or Shine as they crossed paths Saturday night in the final elimination round playdate of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Elasto Painters had already sewn up the top seed and the first twice-to-beat advantage while the KaTropa, even with a victory, were going to lose to Alaska in the tiebreak for the No. 2 seed and the second playoff bonus.

But TNT coach Nash Racela had some use for the match.

“It’s almost like our practice session as a complete crew. It’s not perfect of course, but I hope it prepares us [for] the next round,” said Racela, moments after the KaTropa hurdled the Elasto Painters, 100-85.

And what a next round it will be for TNT.

Magnolia turned back San Miguel Beer, 101-97, in the later game, sending the defending champion Beermen to what could be the most intriguing, drama-filled quarterfinal matchup: No. 3 TNT against No. 6 San Miguel in a showdown between the flagship franchises of the league’s two rival conglomerates.

The two teams tee off the quarterfinal round with Game 1 of their best-of-three series on Monday at The Big Dome.

Despite the seeding, though, Racela doesn’t expect to have the edge against the Beermen.

“We’re always the underdogs. It doesn’t matter now if you’re third, fourth, fifth or sixth, at least we’re not seventh or eighth,” said Racela.

But his wards showed what they are capable of by subduing the Painters despite playing without starting playmaker Jayson Castro, who took a break after the tumultuous Gilas Pilipinas-Australia game in the Fiba World Cup qualifier last week.

Castro, once acclaimed as Asia’s top point guard, hit Daniel Kickert with a “Superman punch” to the face during that turbulent evening at Philippine Arena.

“Jayson needed time to recover [from that incident],” said Racela.

The other quarterfinal pairings will have No. 1 Rain or Shine battling No. 8 GlobalPort. No. 2 Alaska faces off against No. 7 Magnolia while No. 4 Meralco renews its rivalry with No. 5 Brgy. Ginebra in a best-of-three series that starts on Monday.

Rain or Shine and Alaska need to win just once to make the semifinals while their opponents need to win back-to-back to advance.