INQUIRER Sports
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Air21 10 6
Coca-Cola 9 6
Red Bull 9 6
Alaska 8 7
Magnolia 8 7
Talk ?N Text 7 8
Sta. Lucia 7 8
Purefoods 7 8
Ginebra 7 8
Welcoat 4 12
MANILA, Philippines?It is at about this time when a win comes in truly handy, and a loss could mean an early vacation.
With the remaining nine teams in contention so tightly bunched up, four teams take the Cuneta Astrodome floor on Friday looking for wins that would fortify their respective playoff aspirations in the PBA Smart Fiesta Cup.
Purefoods and Talk ?N Text collide for a place in the middle of the pack even as Magnolia and Coca-Cola lock horns in an encounter that could very well paint a clearer picture of the automatic Final Four contenders.
The Tender Juicy Giants and the Phone Pals clash in the 4:50 p.m. game, with both seeking to wriggle out of a four-team logjam in sixth spot and inch closer to the quarterfinals.
Coca-Cola, on the other hand, seeks a victory that would pull the Tigers into a tie with the idle Air21 Express for the lead. A Magnolia win, though, would pull the Beverage Masters into a third-place tie with the Tigers.
As of Wednesday, any team that wins 11 games gains at least a playoff for the second automatic Final Four slot. That augurs well for the Express who are just a victory away from it.
As it is, the objective for most of the teams in the bottom half is to avoid the wild-card phase and to qualify outright for the quarterfinals.
Which makes the Talk ?N Text-Purefoods game crucial.
Talk ?N Text has lost its last five games, but a win Friday night would boost its chances. An extension of that spell, however, would pull the Phone Pals down to ninth place with two games to go in their schedule.
Terrence Leather debuted well for the Phone Pals, but the former NCAA standout with South Florida?despite shooting 29 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and blocking two shots?couldn?t prevent a 111-112 loss to Air21 last week.
James Yap and Kerby Raymundo will again lead the Purefoods offense, with the Tender Juicy Giants? game on the other end anchored on the hulking Reda Rhalimi.
Jason Dixon and Daniel Copeland will banner the Tigers, who are coming off a 91-94 defeat at the hands of Barangay Ginebra.
