INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines—Air21 has never had it this good. And for the Express, things can only get better.

With the Express leading a tournament for the first time in memory, Air21 shoots for the first outright semifinal berth in franchise history when it locks horns with Magnolia in the eliminations of the Smart PBA Fiesta Cup at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City Wednesday night.
The Express can assure themselves of at least a playoff for the second automatic Final Four slot with a win in their 7:20 p.m. game. And, as things stand, 11 wins could be the magic number for everyone.

Red Bull tries to inch closer toward the same goal earlier when the Barako clash with ousted Welcoat in the 4:50 p.m. curtain-raiser.

Air21 has never led a tournament at this stage wherein they are now holding a 10-6 win-loss card and, thanks to a hardworking import in Steven Thomas and a host of locals playing its role to the hilt, the Express can achieve a first for a franchise that was not given much of a chance to perform this well at the start.

“That’s our immediate goal,” coach Bo Perasol said last week after a 91-87 victory over Welcoat. “Winning 10 games was what we set out for. Now we have to work harder to finish in the top two.”

Thomas has been the biggest reason why the Express have been this good this deep in the tournament.

Against the Dragons, Thomas hit all the shots that mattered at the crunch, aside from doing a lot of the intangibles that kept the Express within striking distance for the endgame.

Magnolia is still in the running for a top two slot, but a loss Wednesday night could prove damaging, especially if the Barako upend the Dragons.

At 9-6, Red Bull is half a game ahead of Magnolia and two other teams, and the Barako would be hoping for nothing but an Air21 victory to give them the buffer in second place. Musong R. Castillo