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| PBA (file photo) |
By Ivan Saldajeno
MANILA--If there is one
team that could steal the show at the homestretch of the PBA
Governors' Cup elimination round, that would be Alaska.
After starting the
conference with six straight losses--and 14 consecutive dating back
to the Commissioner's Cup--the Aces are suddenly in the race for a
quarterfinal spot.
"Alaska got three
wins in a row. That's really big for them, and I know they wanna keep
playing well and keep winning games so they can at least make a run
for the playoffs," said Meralco winger Chris Newsome to Dugout
Philippines ahead of his team's showdown with Alaska on Friday night
at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
While the Aces are in
10th place, they are just a game behind the Blackwater Elite (4-5)
for eighth place, and a win in their 4:15 p.m. battle with the Bolts
could complicate matters in the race for number eight, the last seat
for the playoffs.
GlobalPort (3-5) can
even make it a wild race for number seven if it beats slumping Star
(4-3) in the nightcap at 7 p.m. as a win plus an Alaska win earlier
Friday will mean the four teams chasing for the remaining two spots in
the quarterfinals will have four wins each.
Meanwhile, Meralco has
some matters of its own to tackle as the club looks to inch closer to
a twice-to-beat advantage in the next round.
Virtually speaking, the
Bolts need to win at least two of their remaining three games to
assure themselves of a Top 4 finish in the preliminaries without any
need of the quotient system for ties.
However, they have to
get past the streaking Aces, the Batang Pier, and the San Miguel
Beermen, another team chasing a twice-to-beat edge, in order.
For both Newsome and
import Allen Durham, they have a common approach.
"We just have to
take it one game at a time," echoed both wingmen, whose team will get a huge boost in Ranidel De Ocampo.
Meralco acquired the veteran forward from TNT in a trade with Phoenix on Monday.
[Related Story: RDO to Meralco from TNT in three-team swap with Phoenix]
Also looking for a Top
4 spot are the Hotshots, but they lost their last three games already
including one against the Bolts on Saturday night in Sta. Rosa City.
[Related Story: Meralco wins over Star in first PBA Sta. Rosa showcase]
They need to beat the
Batang Pier to stay alive in the twice-to-beat race.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
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