Ginebra battles NLEX in key tiff

ANTIPOLO—Barangay Ginebra comes out of the PBA All-Star break hoping to get the same results it enjoyed before the Gin Kings went into the annual spectacle over the weekend.

With a top-two berth—and a twice-to-beat privilege in the first round of the playoffs—still achievable going into the final two weeks of the elimination round of the Commissioner’s Cup, the Gin Kings gun for a third straight win when they collide with NLEX Wednesday at Ynares Center here.

Running fifth with a 4-3 card and two full games behind idle joint second placers Rain or Shine and Meralco, the Gin Kings are seeking no less than a sweep of their final four assignments to have a shot at that coveted spot, starting with their 7 p.m. clash with the Road Warriors.

While Ginebra is aiming high, the Road Warriors are just aiming to make it inside the magic circle of eight teams that will make the quarterfinals, being just a full game out, even as Alaska, the Philippine Cup runner-up, battles for virtual survival against newcomer Blackwater in the 4:15 p.m. curtain-raiser.

Talk ‘N Text is on top of the heap with a 6-2 record and has three games left, while the Elasto Painters and the Bolts have four each like Ginebra.

Greg Slaughter and Japeth Aguilar will be coming off sterling All-Star Game performances for the South and North squads, respectively, and they will be the main concerns of the NLEX defense inside.

Together with import Michael Dunigan, the Kings have what could be the best frontline in the tournament, something which veteran Asi Taulava and Al Thornton would have to handle for NLEX to have a chance.

NLEX also did well before the league went to Puerto Princesa in Palawan.

The Road Warriors are on a two-game win run going but a slow start has them in ninth spot with a 3-4 card and needing a sweep to book a sure slot to the next round.

Meanwhile, Willie Marcial, the media bureau chief of the PBA, yesterday thanked the members of the board for considering him for the post of chief operating officer before begging off.

Marcial, who started as a statistician for the television coverage in 1984 with Vintage Enterprises, was being considered to take the place of lawyer Chito Salud, who has been appointed president and chief executive officer.