Magnolia is feeling confident of its chances of sneaking in as the last team to qualify for the PBA Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals after closing the eliminations on Friday with a lopsided win over import-less Meralco.
“If I have to bet, I will bet on my own team,” import Ricardo Ratliffe after anchoring the Hotshots to a 129-92 rout of the Bolts at Philsports Arena in Pasig City and finishing the initial phase of the midseason conference at 6-6.
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The victory, with Ratliffe posting 31 points and 19 rebounds, allowed Magnolia to play another do-or-die game set for Sunday at Ynares Center in Antipolo City for the right to face top seed and twice-to-beat NorthPort, the Cinderella team of the tournament.
Which team the Hotshots will face was being determined at press time.
Rain or Shine was playing TNT in the nightcap, needing a win to secure a quarters berth, the No. 6 spot and a best-of-three meeting with Converge. If that happens, Magnolia tackles NLEX in the KO match as the two teams ended with similar records.
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But a Rain or Shine loss will put the ElastoPainters in a three-way tie with Magnolia and NLEX, which owns the superior tiebreak among the three teams and will hence tab No. 7 spot and the right to face the No. 2 seed.
The implications
The E-Painters, who came into their face-off with the Tropang Giga at 6-5 after two straight losses but will be greatly rewarded with an upset of TNT, will square off with the Hotshots in the do-or-die game with a loss.
“I think we have a good shot [of making the playoffs], as long as we continue how we’ve been playing,” said Zavier Lucero, who was Magnolia’s top local scorer with 22.
“We didn’t start off the conference very well, but you want to play your best basketball toward the end of the eliminations,” he added.
Meralco ended eliminations with a 7-5 card, but came into the contest already assured of placing fifth and meeting No. 4 Barangay Ginebra in a best-of-three duel.
Hong Kong Eastern also finished with a 7-5 record, but the idle guest team will be relegated to seventh with a Rain or Shine triumph, and must defeat TNT twice in the quarters.
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Raymond Almazan scored 23 points for Meralco, which once again played minus import Akil Mitchell due to a nagging back problem.
Mitchell missed the last two matches, but it seems like the Bolts were saving him to be in his best shape for the playoffs.
