It just got harder

Bigmen Christian Standhardinger of NorthPort (center, above photo) and Japeth Aguilar of Barangay Ginebra will be tested in a brutal stretch, which could tell heavily for their teams. —PHOTOS COURTESY OF PBA IMAGES

Call this the killer stretch in what is already a backbreaking schedule.

The PBA on Sunday released its new schedule to complete the elimination round of the Philippine Cup, and no matter how anyone looks at it, the physical and mental stamina of all 12 teams will be taken to their limits starting Tuesday.

A tournament originally scheduled over just two months—something the league has never done in its first 44 years—because of the coronavirus pandemic, the PH Cup will adopt a schedule that will definitely make bodies sore and the minds work double time in order to complete a season that was shut down in March because of the health crisis.

Five quadruple headers over the course of nine days will be played to make up for the postponements of several games due to a pair of false positive cases and the installation of a new set of health protocols prescribed by the national government.

Three games in four days

League-leading TNT (5-1), Barangay Ginebra (4-2), defending champion San Miguel Beer (4-2), Blackwater (2-3) struggling Northport (1-4), and listless Terrafirma (0-5) will plunge into the torturous first four days where they will each play a total of three games.

But delegates inside the hotel in the league’s bubble looked all primed for what has become a doubly frenetic schedule. The Batang Pier hit the gym on Sunday afternoon, with virtually everyone hard at work as they try to fan flickering playoff hopes in the final half of the classification phase.

“It is what it is,” coach Pido Jarencio told the Inquirer shortly after snacking with his team at the lounge.

“Other teams will have to go through the same thing, anyway,” he said. “We have to see it through and fight on.”

“The first game will be played as early as 10 a.m, with the last game in those quadruple headers having a 6:45 p.m. tipoff which the Elite and the Beermen will have a taste of on Tuesday at Angeles University Foundation powered by Smart 5G.”

Jarencio’s assessment was echoed by Ginebra coach Tim Cone, whose Gin Kings are on a two-game slide.

“Playing (in) back-to-back (days) is obviously not ideal,” he told the Inquirer.

Ginebra plays on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and then Sunday—all against quality opponents, with that stretch culminating with an anticipated clash with corporate sister San Miguel at 4:45 p.m.

“We do what we have to do to continue playing,” said Cone, who has made it no secret that a place in the top four—for a twice-to-beat bonus in the first round of the playoffs—is the team’s first target. “It’s the same for all teams, so it’s just going to be up to each team to meet the challenge.”

NorthPort also has the same schedule—and the same rock-solid opponents—with the Batang Pier first squaring off with the Tropang Giga on Tuesday before locking horns with the Gin Kings the following day. They get a day’s rest and then play the streaking Alaska Aces before winding up their swashbuckling schedule with a tiff against Magnolia on Sunday.And making it more difficult for Jarencio and NorthPort is that the team will be without do-it-all skipper Sean Anthony because of an injured hamstring. The 6-foot-4 bruiser is listed as unavailable until Friday at the earliest.

Bouncing back

The Tropang Giga scheduled training at Angeles University Foundation on Sunday, with several of their players also availing of the first available access to barbers shortly after returning to the hotel.

Coach Bong Ravena is actually eager to see his TNT back in action, as it will show the team’s capability to come back from a loss.”

And just like Jarencio and Ravena, Cone is also aware of the physical toll this new schedule will impose.

“The ones who (could meet the challenge) are going to find success. We just have to make sure we don’t overplay our key guys so that we have enough juice in the fourth quarter,” Cone said.

The elimination phase ends Nov. 11.Making it past the eliminations seems a given for some of the stronger teams in the field, but how this killer schedule takes its toll on their rosters is a question that can only be answered when the playoffs come. And that makes this Philippine Cup the toughest one to win. Hands down. INQ