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| Both Ginebra and Star can secure the top two. (file photo) |
By Ivan Saldajeno
MANILA--With one twinbill left in the elims of the PBA Commissioner's Cup, there are still things to settle in terms of the seeding in the quarterfinals.
San Miguel, Ginebra, and Star are still in the race for the twice-to-beat advantage, while Alaska, Phoenix, and GlobalPort have their bid to enter the quarterfinals outright hanging in the balance.
The Hotshots and the Aces have already done their part on Wednesday night with the former prevailing in come-from-behind fashion.
[Related Story: Star pulls off huge comeback, frustrates Alaska]
Now, it's the turn of the Beermen, the Barangay, and the Batang Pier to dictate their fates.
SMB and GlobalPort collide in the first game, while Ginebra battles Mahindra in the second game on Friday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. Mahindra can actually still tie Alaska and GlobalPort in seventh place and even GlobalPort for sixth at 4-7, but since the team has the lowest quotient after the ties are broken, Mahindra is already considered out of the running.
Here are four possible stipulations heading to Friday:
1. If San Miguel and Ginebra win, they will tie Star in first place at 9-2, while GlobalPort will tie Phoenix and Alaska at 4-7 for seventh place. Ginebra (1.117) and SMB (0.99) have the two best quotients among them and Star (0.903), so Ginebra and SMB will take the two twice-to-beat edges while Star falls to the best-of-three ranks at third. Phoenix (1.127) has the best quotient among it, Alaska (1.116), and GlobalPort (0.791), so the team will enter the quarterfinals outright at seventh, while Alaska and GlobalPort will battle for the eighth seed.
2. If San Miguel and Mahindra win, Ginebra falls to third, while SMB and Star take the quarterfinal bonuses. While Mahindra has the worst quotient in the four-way tie for sixth, it can still impact who goes where as Alaska, which has the best quotient at 1.098, will enter the playoffs outright at seventh, leaving Phoenix and GlobalPort battling it out for the eighth spot.
3. If GlobalPort and Ginebra win, SMB falls to third, while Ginebra and Star take the QF bonuses. Meanwhile, GlobalPort will not just enter the next round outright but also evades the twice-to-beat disadvantage as the team, by virtue of a tie-breaking win against Rain Or Shine in Biñan the Friday before, moves up to sixth, battling SMB in a best-of-three. ROS falls to seventh plus a twice-to-beat disadvantage against Star, while Alaska and Phoenix slug it out for the right to face Ginebra.
4. If GlobalPort and Mahindra win, Star will be alone at the top at 9-2, while Ginebra, by virtue of its tie-breaking win against SMB in Pasay on May 21, will take second, dropping SMB to third. GlobalPort claims sixth, ROS gets seventh, and Alaska and Phoenix figure it out for eighth.
In summary...
1. A GlobalPort win will set up a best-of-three clash with San Miguel in the quarterfinals. Alaska and Phoenix will then dispute the eighth seed. ROS has to settle for the seventh seed.
2. A loss by either SMB or Ginebra will hand Star the twice-to-beat edge, but the team can go first if both its sister teams lose.
3. Ginebra, despite having the better head-to-head quotient among the SMC umbrella, can still fall to third.
4. Alaska must hope that San Miguel and Mahindra win on Friday to finally enter the quarterfinals.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
4. Alaska must hope that San Miguel and Mahindra win on Friday to finally enter the quarterfinals.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
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