Photo by August dela Cruz
MANILA, Philippines—B-Meg and Barangay Ginebra test their new acquisitions when they collide Sunday in the PBA Philippine Cup elimination at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Llamados (5-4), with 6-foot-9 Yancy De Ocampo beefing up their frontline, and the Kings (4-4), who recently acquired Rico Maierhofer and Allein Maliksi, clash at 5:30 p.m.
“We already met our goal of going over .500. Now, we have to make sure of getting into the No. 3 to 6 spots of the playoffs,” said B-Meg coach Tim Cone.
A resurgent Alaska side also tries to boost its drive when the Aces take on the winless Shopinas.com Clickers in the curtain-raiser at 3:15 p.m.
Aside from players in new uniforms, the matchup between two-time MVP James Yap and explosive Ginebra superstar Mark Caguioa will also draw fan interest.
Yap has become comfortable with Cone’s triangle offense as shown by his shooting in the past three games while Caguioa, dismayed at the rate his team is going, has been vocal about giving veteran players more minutes in crucial stretches.
The top two clubs after the elimination round will earn a twice-to-beat edge over Nos. 7 and 8 while teams ranked third to sixth play in a crossover, best-of-three quarterfinals.
The bottom two teams will be booted out.
After their 121-111 escape act over the Powerade Tigers Friday night, the Aces (2-7) are back in the playoff race.
“Playing three games in six days, we need to keep on winning,” said Alaska coach Banal.
Banal tweaked his rotation by putting rookie Mac Baracael at power forward, a spot the 6-foot-4 former FEU star shone at with the Smart Gilas national team.
The Clickers, still looking to break through at 0-10, will have other concerns apart from containing the hyperactive Baracael.
Shopinas.com coach Franz Pumaren and his staff have to work on plugging the mismatches LA Tenorio and Sonny Thoss could create.