MANILA, Philippines—Petron Blaze guns for a seventh straight victory in their bid to secure the No. 1 seed in the playoffs when the Boosters battle sister squad Barangay Ginebra Friday in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Boosters are installed as the solid picks in the 7:30 p.m. game even as Powerade tries to follow up on that mind-boggling 35-point victory last week over Talk ‘N Text when it battles Meralco in the 5:15 p.m. game.
At 9-3, and already assured of advancing to the playoffs, Petron needs to win at least one of its last two games to snatch one of the top two berths and earn a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
Idle defending champion Talk ‘N Text is in second at 8-3, while the B-Boys are running third with an 8-4 record.
And while Petron and Meralco’s respective games have a great significance at the top of the standings, Powerade and the Gin Kings also have great roles to play as far as those in the bottom half are concerned.
Wins by both the Tigers and the Kings will automatically boot Alaska out of the playoff picture, marking just the third time in the last 32 conferences that the Aces will fail to make it past the elimination round.
The Tigers will come into the match with the B-Boys riding the momentum of a 131-96 victory over the powerhouse Tropang Texters last week.
That victory was special not because of the winning margin, but because it pushed the Tigers to within a victory of making the playoffs for the first time in the last eight conferences.
“Although we are happy with the way we played in our last two games, we know that our game against Meralco will be tough,” said Powerade coach Bo Perasol. “We understand the challenge.
However, we likewise comprehend now our strength as a team. Rebounding would be the key.”
“Powerade is always a dangerous foe,” Meralco’s Ryan Gregorio said. “If you lack the intensity in defense, they can pummel you with no mercy the very same way they beat TNT by over 30.”
Meralco turned back the Tigers the first time they clashed on Nov. 16, with Mac Cardona connecting on a tear drop shot in the dying seconds for a 98-96 win.
Tournament format calls for the top two teams after the 14 elimination round games each to earn twice-to-beat incentives against the seventh- and eighth-ranked teams in the quarterfinals, respectively. No. 3 then battles No. 6 and Nos. 4 and 5 clash in best-of-three series for semifinal spots.