PBA quarterfinal matchups still too close to call

Without looking at their elimination-round records, it’s hard to guess which two of the four teams that will open the first phase of quarterfinal action are ranked higher than the other in the Smart Bro-PBA Philippine Cup on Christmas Day.

On paper, GlobalPort and Barako Bull seem evenly matched. Both sides make a living using a bevy of crack point guards and make do without dominating centers, unlike the league’s powerhouses.

The Batang Pier had two crucial win streaks in the eliminations and booked a twice-to-beat edge early before finding the Energy as foes at 4:15 p.m. on Friday.

A win would pit the Batang Pier against the winner of another matchup that seems even, whichever way one looks at it.

“Our first game (against the Energy) went into overtime; it was that close,” GlobalPort coach Pido Jarencio told the Inquirer, referring to their 105-91 victory in the eliminations. “It will be different (in the quarterfinals), because they traded away Jervy (Cruz) and RR (Garcia) could still be injured.

“Still, Barako Bull will be a very tough foe.”

Barangay Ginebra and Star play in the 7 p.m. game with the Gin Kings holding the twice-to-beat edge over the Hotshots after finishing the eliminations in fourth spot.

And considering that Star whipped Ginebra in the only time they clashed in the elimination round, seeing this matchup going into a KO game on Sunday is not at all far-fetched.

Greg Slaughter and Japeth Aguilar have an obvious edge in size and heft compared to the Star frontline, but the experience of Marc Pingris, Ian Sangalang and Rafi Reavis in do-or-die games will certainly come into play for Star.

GLOBALPORT guard Roi Sumang pops a shot off Jervy Cruz, who has since moved out of Barako Bull, in their elimination-round encounter on Nov. 8. The Batang Pier won this one, 105-91, AUGUST DELA CRUZ

Rain or Shine battles Blackwater and TNT slugs it out with sister squad NLEX on Saturday with the Elasto Painters and the Tropang Texters enjoying twice-to-beat advantages.

Those pairings also do not mean a walk in the park for the higher-ranked teams.

Rain or Shine and TNT are both coming off losses and the No. 10 Elite and the eighth-ranked Road Warriors are fresh off ego-boosting victories.
Under a new coach in Jason Webb, there’s no doubt that the Hotshots are struggling under a new system.

But the winning pedigree in this team is something that has always been embedded in players like Pingris and two-time MVP James Yap and Peter June Simon.

Ginebra coach Tim Cone, who mentored the Hotshots to just the league’s fifth Grand Slam in 2013, would like nothing more than erase traces of a 78-86 defeat last October.

“They handled us pretty easily the first time,” Cone said on Sunday night. “Hopefully, we’re a better team and we understand a little bit more what we want to do.”

The GlobalPort-Barako Bull matchup is also interesting since Stanley Pringle and Terrence Romeo, the league’s most prolific backcourt, will be up against a squad that has pesky small men that can make life hard for both of them.