No clear favorites as PBA D-League semis duels unfold

MANILA, Philippines — After claiming the No. 1 spot on a “silver platter,” NLEX braces for a grueling best-of-three semifinal series against Hog’s Breath Cafe in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup Tuesday at Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

The Road Warriors expect a tough duel at 2 p.m. against the Razorbacks, one of only two squads that beat them in the eliminations and will go into the game inspired by a confidence-boosting quarterfinal win.

“When we came into this conference, nobody gave us a chance,” coach Caloy Garcia said of his Razorbacks.

“They (Road Warriors) have all the advantages but it doesn’t matter as long as we play hard.”

Big Chill also heads into its own series at 4 p.m. expecting a tough grind against Blackwater Sports, which incredibly dodged elimination four straight times to reach the Final Four.

“It tested our character and the players’ confidence level is really high,” said coach Leo Isaac after the No. 6 Elite overcame the twice-to-beat advantage of Jumbo Plastic in the quarterfinals.

“We have a good chance now that it’s back to zero in the semifinals.”

NLEX and Big Chill wound up tied at 11-2 at the end of the eliminations, but the Road Warriors grabbed the top spot due to a superior quotient.

“We’re quite wary,” coach Boyet Fernandez said even after his Road Warriors wrapped up their elimination run with a 64-point ripping of Zambales M-Builders to set the biggest winning margin in league history.