Ginebra Gin Kings and Magnolia Hotshots square off in the PBA All-Filipino Conference quarterfinals. –MARLO CUETO/INQuIRER.net
Barangay Ginebra and Magnolia have arranged an early playoff battle in the PBA Philippine Cup after the two sibling rivals ended up losing their respective games Sat the close of the eliminations Sunday.
The meeting became possible after Magnolia fell to TNT, 98-93, and Ginebra came up short against NLEX, 76-72, at Ninoy Aquino Stadium, setting up a Manila Clasico quarterfinal showdown.
But No. 2 seed Ginebra has the twice-to-beat advantage over Magnolia, which placed seventh despite being in a tie at 6-5 with five others due to an inferior quotient.
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The top two teams after the eliminations received the quarterfinal bonus, the other being No. 1 San Miguel Beer with its 10-1 slate, against seventh and eighth seeds in the playoffs.
San Miguel battles the winner of the playoff for No. 8 between Terrafirma and NorthPort on Wednesday at Ninoy Aquino. The two sides finished with identical 5-6 records.
The two other quarterfinal pairings are best-of-three affairs, with No. 3 Meralco battling No. 6 NLEX and No. 4 TNT facing No. 5 Rain or Shine.
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Sister teams Meralco, TNT and Meralco won over the weekend to secure their best-of-three spots.
Meralco denied San Miguel’s 11-game sweep of the eliminations, 95-92, Saturday in Batangas City.
All teams in the best-of-three went 6-5 during the elimination round.
The quarterfinals begin Friday, with the winners advancing to the semifinals which will be a pair of best-of-seven duels.
The Finals are set in June, likewise a best-of-seven series.