Playoff positioning will be the biggest thing going in the minds of Batangas and Tanduay when the two teams part ways on Thursday in the 2017 PBA D-League Foundation Cup at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
With the two squads currently tied at third place carrying their identical 4-2 slates, a victory is surely going to be a boost in the team’s bid to earn a spot in the quarterfinals.
And that fact isn’t lost on Rhum Masters coach Lawrence Chongson, as they seek to stay in the running in the playoffs and, hopefully, a top two spot.
“We’re really focused on the game against Batangas because we want to stay on top,” said the outspoken mentor. “One of us will get dropped because we are tied at three and four in the standings.”
Tanduay got the necessary momentum builder it needed via a dominant 141-65 decimation of Zark’s Burgers last Monday, where the team also set two league records in the process behind Jerwin Gaco, Lester Alvarez, and James Martinez.
Chongson, however, argued that the only statistic he was mindful of is the wins, the losses, and especially the championships.
“I can’t worry about stuff like that,” he said after the Rhum Masters shattered the record for most points scored and biggest winning margin. “The only record I’m after is the championship.”
Batangas coach Eric Gonzales acknowledges that his side is coming in as underdogs in the tiff.
“Honestly, we still lack experience compared with the Tanduay players,” he said, as he will bank on his leaders Joseph Sedurifa, Jessie Saitanan, and Cedrick Ablaza.
However, the Batangueños are hell-bent on making it to the top six even after their close 70-66 defeat to Cignal HD last week.
Tip-off is at 3 p.m., to be followed by the all-important game between Marinerong Pilipino and Racal Motors at 5 p.m.
Currently on the outside looking in, Racal (3-3) and Marinero (1-4) are just out for survival as both teams try to stay in the playoff race.