NLEX already has a twice-to-beat privilege all sewed up, and 5 different groups are scampering for the final three of these bonuses with one in every of them, conventional powerhouse San Miguel, seeing motion and needing to be good the remainder of the best way to take action.
The Street Warriors shut out their shocking elimination spherical run in opposition to also-ran NorthPort within the 5 p.m. contest at Ninoy Aquino Stadium, with the win giving them non permanent maintain of No. 1 spot and what must be the lightest task within the first spherical of the playoffs.
“I’m simply stunned at how the staff is taking part in,” coach Jong Uichico mentioned after the playoff bonus-clinching 107-99 victory over Magnolia final week.
“They’re actually performing nicely and I’m simply pleased that they’re successful and the work they’ve been placing in throughout practices are paying off.
“It’s exhausting should you preserve working with out being rewarded. However at the very least, they get rewarded for his or her exhausting work with the variety of video games that we’ve gained,” he added.
San Miguel then takes the ground subsequent at 7:30 p.m., on the lookout for the primary of two wins that would knock the Street Warriors out of that spot since they might each find yourself tied with 9-2 information after the single-round classification with the Beermen to win the tiebreak due to the winner-over-the-other rule.
NLEX has gained its final two video games and is on this place with the Street Warriors responding to educate Jong Uichico and letting Robert Bolick do his factor on the ground.
Ought to the Street Warriors win and San Miguel splits its final two video games, the Beermen’s final task additionally being the Batang Pier, NLEX will prime the eliminations and can draw defending champion Meralco within the quarterfinals.
TNT, Rain or Shine, Barangay Ginebra and Magnolia are the three different squads on the lookout for that quarterfinal bonus, and of the three, the Tropang 5G have a reasonably robust path to get that, as not even a win over the Hotshots on Friday would assure them of the privilege.
Ginebra may maintain the important thing for the Tropang 5G for a top-four end, as a win over the Elasto Painters when each groups shut out eliminations subsequent week will give TNT that experience.
That turned the situation for the Grand Slam-seeking facet after dropping badly to Ginebra the final time, a 19-point debacle that now requires TNT to beat Magnolia by a margin greater than that and hope for a Rain or Shine win for them to make the highest 4.
