Four teams are ready for a mad dash to the finish while one waits for its fate to be decided as the quarterfinal race of the PBA Governors’ Cup enters the final two playdates.
Meralco, TNT, NorthPort, Phoenix Super LPG need to win their remaining games while Alaska is now in a wait-and-see mode ahead of two doubleheaders set Wednesday and Friday to wrap up the prolonged single-round elims.
Magnolia Pambansang Manok and NLEX have already secured the top two seeds and the twice-to-beat advantage while San Miguel Beer and Barangay Ginebra clinched quarterfinal berths over the weekend.
Here’s a detailed look at the situation of every team already in the playoffs or still knocking at the door.
MAGNOLIA PAMBANSANG MANOK HOTSHOTS (9-1)
Current situation: The Hotshots have already secured the top seed and the twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
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Possible scenarios: Nothing will affect Magnolia’s quarterfinal seeding going into its last match against Blackwater on Wednesday.
NLEX ROAD WARRIORS (8-3)
Current situation: The Road Warriors are assured of the No. 2 seed and the twice-to-beat following their win over Barangay Ginebra San Miguel last Friday.
Possible scenarios: NLEX’s only concern at this point is to give new import Cameron Clark the chance to build chemistry after being tapped to replace KJ McDaniels.
SAN MIGUEL BEERMEN (7-4)
Current situation: SMB locked up a quarters berth after Shabazz Muhammad led a furious rally from 26 points down and scoring 57 points in the process to beat Meralco.
Possible scenarios: The Beermen can get the twice-to-beat advantage or even drop outside of the top four depending on the results of the remaining games involving the Meralco Bolts and TNT Tropang Giga.
MERALCO BOLTS (6-4)
Current situation: The epic collapse against the Beermen sent the Bolts to a third straight defeat and 6-4 going into the final elimination round match against the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters.
Possible scenarios: Meralco just needs to beat Phoenix to gain the quarterfinal bonus, though it can still clinch a top four with a loss provided results of the other games favor them.
TNT TROPANG GIGA (5-4)
Current situation: TNT won three straight games in between the Governors’ Cup campaign and some of its players donning the national colors in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers to climb in a possible top four finish.
Possible scenarios: The Tropang Giga can gain the twice-to-beat by sweeping their remaining two games against the Terrafirma Dyip and NorthPort Batang Pier, though a 6-5 finish may still be enough. But dropping both matches may result in a playoff for No. 8 or a stunning elimination from the quarters race.
BARANGAY GINEBRA SAN MIGUEL (6-5)
Current situation: Sunday’s hard-fought win against Rain or Shine secured Ginebra’s place in the quarters, avoiding the dreaded possibility of a playoff or an early elimination with a loss.
Possible scenarios; There’s a slim chance that Ginebra may snatch the twice-to-beat if TNT drops its last two games and Meralco falls to Phoenix, resulting in a six-way tie for fourth at 6-5. But the realistic chances are that the Gin Kings go as high as fifth or go as low as eighth.
ALASKA ACES (6-5)
Current situation: Back-to-back losses to Phoenix and Magnolia ended Alaska’s hopes of a twice-to-beat while putting its farewell tour down to at least one final game.
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Possible scenarios: The Aces can place fifth or drop to a playoff for No. 8 with NorthPort if the four-way at 6-5 occurs.
NORTHPORT BATANG PIER (5-5)
Current situation: Not even a 0-5 start prevented the Batang Pier from becoming the league’s hottest at five straight wins that suddenly put them in quarterfinal conversation.
Possible scenarios: NorthPort has an impossible chance of a twice-to-beat if it wins over TNT by a gigantic margin, but a loss may result in a No. 8 seed or a playoff for the last quarters ticket with Phoenix.
PHOENIX SUPER LPG FUEL MASTERS (5-5)
Current situation: The Fuel Masters posted a crucial win over the Aces last Thursday that snapped a three-game skid while keeping an inside track at the quarters.
Possible scenarios: A victory over Meralco secures Phoenix’s place in the quarters, but as one of the bottom four teams. Defeat may result in getting the No. 8 spot or a faceoff with TNT or NorthPort in a do-or-die for the last quarters bus.
QUARTERFINAL FORMAT
The top eight teams advance to the quarters at the end of the eliminations, with the twice-to-beat advantage given to the four best finishers. Teams that finished tied for eighth will meet in a playoff to determine the final quarterfinals berth.
Other ties between two teams will be disputed using the winner-over-the-other rule while a quotient system is going to be used if at least three teams have identical records.