Aces battle Kings, eye No. 1 seat; Mixers tackle Express

Alaska tries to put a lock on the No. 1 spot today when the Aces battle a Barangay Ginebra side that will try to push the longest winning streak in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup to seven games at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.

Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. and the Aces take the first of their two chances for a twice-to-beat privilege even as Air21 tries to formally claim a playoff for the last quarterfinal berth in the 5:15 p.m. contest against defending champion San Mig Coffee.

As things stand, only newcomer Globalport has been eliminated from the playoff picture and Alaska practically has a top two berth in hand going into the final five playdates of the import-spiced event.

Barako Bull is at 4-8 and could finish the eliminations with six wins and fight it out for slot No. 8 in the quarterfinals if it sweeps its last two matches—against Rain or Shine and the Batang Pier.

And should the Mixers defeat the Express, San Mig would claim a playoff spot and make Air21’s clash against powerhouse Petron Blaze on Saturday a must-win for the Express.

The Aces, should they lose to the Gin Kings, will still have the Batang Pier as their last foes on Friday and at this stage, only Rain or Shine remains as the other team capable of winning 10 games in the round.

But Alaska has a superior quotient against Rain or Shine, having plastered the Elasto Painters twice in the round, including that mind-boggling comeback from 22 points down last weekend.

The Painters will still clash with Meralco and Barako Bull and wins over both would give them at least No. 2, which carries with it a twice-to-beat privilege against the No. 7 team in the first round of the playoffs.

Ginebra has a six-game winning streak going and winning a seventh straight would give the Kings a chance to finish in the top two.

Idle Petron Blaze is also at 7-5 like Ginebra and is still in the running for the huge quarterfinals privilege. The Boosters’ final game will be against Talk ‘N Text, a struggling powerhouse which is mired in the middle of the standings with a 6-6 card.

Talk ’N Text, incidentally, lost import Donnell Harvey Sunday night because of an emergency in the United States.  Talk ‘N Text’s final two games will be against the Gin Kings on Sunday and the Boosters next Friday.