TWO teams teetering on the brink of elimination aim to inject new life into their respective bids when Meralco and Phoenix Super LPG face off Friday in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
No thanks to a two-game slide that dropped them to a 3-5 record, the Bolts are currently at 10th-running spot, just ahead of the 3-6 Fuel Masters.
A win, however, would boost the chances of either Meralco or Phoenix to gain inclusion among the top eight advancing to the quarterfinals or at least a tie for one of the last berths in the magic circle.
"Kung sino manalo may chance talaga para umangat," noted coach Luigi Trillo, whose Bolts are up for a tough grind winding up the 11-game eliminations since they have to face Magnolia on Sunday before taking on San Miguel Beer on May 4.
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Trillo has already done the math. "Every game is crucial," he stressed.
"Going to our last four games, our margin for error iisa lang. With that loss to Converge, we now have to win all three of our remaining (elims) games to secure a quarterfinals spot, maybe a top six," added Trillo.
The Bolts would not have been in such a bind if not for a 99-104 loss to erstwhile winless and already eliminated Converge last Sunday, no little thanks to rookie Bryan Santos erupting for a career-high 22 points in leading the FiberXers to the shocker.
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Trillo said Santos is just the latest in the list of those who stepped up among their previous opponents. "Kung mapapansin mo, sa mga talo namin palaging may isang nag-e-explode," he pointed out.
"Versus NLEX si (Robert) Bolick, sa Blackwater si (Rey) Nambatac, sa TNT si (Calvin) Oftana, against NorthPort si (JM) Calma. Then last time si Santos."
Now comes Phoenix with its own set of weapons and extra motivation following a heartbreaking 101-108 loss to TNT just last Wednesday, when the Fuel Masters failed to hold on to as much as a 23-point lead and a 20-point halftime cushion.
Coach Jamike Jarin and his charges need to win now to get an extra confidence boost going to their last elims game against Blackwater on Saturday. Should they win against the Bolts and Bossing, the Fuel Masters could make it outright or tie for one of the last QF berths.
Meralco, however, remains the favorite since Raymond Almazan is back from a PBA-imposed suspension that caused him to miss the Converge game while Allein Maliksi should bounce back strong from a scoreless outing against the FiberXers. (NC)
