Their coaches out, Ginebra and Meralco renew rivalry at crucial stage

Barangay Ginebra forward Japeth Aguilar challenges the defense of Meralco center Raymond Almazan in Game 6 of the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals at Mall of Asia Arena. PBA IMAGES

Either Barangay Ginebra’s top two drive or Meralco’s quest to improve on its current standing could take a hit after Wednesday night when the two bitter rivals clash in a critical PBA Philippine Cup elimination round game at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.

Toting a 6-2 record and running second, the Gin Kings take on the Bolts in the 6 p.m. contest with a loss not being an option for either squad. The Bolts, who are currently at 4-3 for sixth place, need a win at all costs to stay out of the bottom two playoff spots, which will be ranged against the top two teams owning twice-to-beat protection in the quarterfinals.

Ginebra’s situation isn’t as dire, but is equally crucial for playoff seeding.

With TNT already winding up its elimination stint with an 8-3 record capped by a 106-92 win over the Kings over the weekend, a loss by Ginebra in any of its last three games would give them a tie for second with the Tropang Giga, who will win that seat by virtue of the winner-over-the-other rule in breaking two-way ties.

“We still have a good chance at No. 2, so we will move on,” Richard del Rosario, who has called the shots in the last three games for Ginebra with Tim Cone in the United States, said. “We’ll correct all the things we need to correct [in losing to TNT] and then we’ll move on.”

Ginebra has a relatively light schedule after the Bolts, with clashes against undermanned NorthPort and Phoenix scheduled on July 17 and 21, respectively.

Meralco, on the other hand, closes out against powerhouses Magnolia and San Miguel Beer before taking on ousted Terrafirma. It’s not an ideal situation for a team very much within reach of Converge and NLEX, two teams with four wins too but already have five losses each.

The Bolts are also playing without coach Norman Black, who is also in the United States attending to his ailing mother. Ronnie Magsanoc and Luigi Trillo will be taking over.

Meanwhile, Blackwater and Rain or Shine slug it out in the 3 p.m. game, with the Bossing having the chance to keep their top two bid alive and shut the door on the Elasto Painters.

Blackwater has never had this much success in a conference, ever, and will be coming into the game licking the wounds of a 110-107 overtime defeat at the hands of the Beermen that snapped a four-game winning streak.

Ariel Vanguardia, the Bossing coach, knows how important this game is for them and feels that he will be playing a clone of his Blackwater crew.

“They like to play fast and their lineup is a mix of veterans and young ones,” Vanguardia said. “Their (Painters’) record doesn’t reflect how well they play.” INQ