NLEX doused Phoenix on Sunday night, for a triumph that may very well be the springboard they need for the tall task ahead.
The Road Warriors, now with a 4-6 win-loss mark, will be going through the proverbial eye of the needle in its bid to tab a quarterfinal berth in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
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That means Jong Uichico’s crew will need no less than a sweep of its final two elimination games—against Rain or Shine on Saturday and versus guest club Hong Kong on Wednesday—to give itself a fighting chance in the race for a playoff spot that is starting to look hectic by the day with three teams in a logjam at third place, and the Elasto Painters, Barangay Ginebra and San Miguel Beermen rounding out the last three teams in the Top 8.
“I know some [things] will be under our control. And some are not,” the multititled coach said on the heels of NLEX’s 108-94 conquest of the Fuel Masters in Antipolo City. “Still, as I’ve said, there’s an opportunity regardless of how far the goal may seem. And that’s our mindset coming into the next games.”
Sixth pick
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Things are looking up for the Road Warriors ahead of those two critical matches, with top gun Robert Bolick Jr. and role players Tony Semerad and Robbie Herndon playing splendidly recently, and rookie Jonnel Policarpio looking more and more at home.
Policarpio, selected sixth overall in the last Rookie Draft, had 17 points, nine rebounds and a steal to help NLEX, one of the hottest teams in the first half of the import showcase, halt its five-game slide.
Tuesday games
“Poli’s a learner. At the start, he was playing the four [position]. Now he’s playing the three. He’s starting to get used to playing two positions. He just needed time since he’s a rookie. It wouldn’t be fair [to judge his game early] when he was playing different positions,” Uichico said of his ward.
“Give him some time to make the adjustments. But he’s such a learning person, we know he’s going to adapt as the season or the conference goes on,” he added.
The former La Salle standout coming out of his shelf may just be the added boost NLEX needs as it navigates a perilous schedule—a predicament not unique to the Road Warriors.
Blackwater (2-8) and Phoenix (3-7) lock horns on Tuesday at the hilltop Ynares Center, both teams hoping to muddle up the race for the lower quarterfinal berths. But the result of that game may hardly matter after a couple of hours following the clash between NorthPort (7-3) and San Miguel (4-5) tangle later in the evening.
The Batang Pier, for a while top dogs of the conference, are looking to boost their bid for twice-to-beat protection. The Beermen, meanwhile, hope to improve their record and steer themselves away from an embarrassing absence in the playoffs.
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A traditional powerhouse that leads the league in most championships won (29 crowns), San Miguel last missed the playoffs back in the 2015 Commissioner’s Cup, finishing ninth by the end of the elimination race just behind crowd darling and corporate sibling Gin Kings. INQ
