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| PBA (file photo) |
By Ivan Saldajeno
MANILA--It's now or never for Phoenix and Rain Or Shine as both clubs collide for the last spot in the PBA Governors' Cup quarterfinals in a knockout match on Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Both the Fuel Masters and the Elasto Painters battle for the right to face the TNT KaTropa in the next round in the nightcap of the doubleheader at 7 p.m. The KaTropa have a twice-to-beat advantage in the said quarterfinal match-up.
ROS got a lease of life after beating Star in a win-or-go-home clash on Friday night, while Phoenix, which at one point was in the thick of things for a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals, dropped its last two games, relegating the club to the do-or-die match with ROS for eighth.
The Fuel Masters actually had a slow start in the conference but bounced back thanks to Eugene Phelps.
On the other hand, Josh Dollard will be up to his biggest acid test as the E-Painters' current import.
Meanwhile, another playoff match will take place on Wednesday as Meralco and Mahindra clash for the fourth seed which comes with the quarterfinal bonus at 4:15 p.m.
Both the Bolts and the Enforcers ended up in the said tiff after getting the two best quotients after a three-way tie for fourth with the Alaska Aces at the end of eliminations.
While the Bolts have momentum with them following their preliminary win on Sept. 11, the fact that the said game was tight could suffice the expectation of yet another down-the-wire finish.
Meralco and Mahindra will meet again on Saturday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo with the rubber match, if necessary, set for Monday back at the Quezon City arena, essentially making their quarterfinal series a best-of-three affair.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
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