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| Ginebra and TNT could end up in a wildcard playoff. Dennis Acosta (file photo) |
By Ivan Saldajeno
ONE night, two games, four possible implications.
Friday night's PBA Philippine Cup twinbill will have significant bearings in the race to the quarterfinals.
In the last night of the preliminary phase, GlobalPort takes on Phoenix at 4:30 p.m., while Ginebra battles Rain Or Shine at 7 p.m.
Currently, the Batang Pier and the Barangay are at 5-5, while the Elasto Painters are at 6-4 and the Fuel Masters are at 4-6.
One thing is for certain: Phoenix needs to beat GlobalPort to stay in the playoff race, but as per a computation of quotients by Dugout Philippines, Phoenix may need more than just a mere win.
Here are the four possible scenarios:
1. If GlobalPort and Rain Or Shine win, the latter will secure the fourth seed in the quarterfinals. On the other hand, NLEX will move to the fifth seed, putting the team on a best-of-three battle with ROS. Meanwhile, GlobalPort goes up to the sixth seed, ending up in a best-of-three encounter with Alaska in the next round. In the process, Blackwater, which has the better quotient over Ginebra and TNT following the computation, will make the quarterfinals outright as the seventh, putting Ginebra and TNT in a grudge match for the eighth seed. Phoenix will be eliminated.
2. If GlobalPort and Ginebra win, a four-way tie for fourth to seventh places ensues. The final quotients of Ginebra and ROS will depend on how the former will beat the latter. NLEX has the better quotient over GlobalPort, which means the former will not fall below sixth place. TNT and Blackwater, on the other hand, will dispute the eighth seed in a playoff on Sunday.
3. If Phoenix and Ginebra win, the latter will end up in a three-way tie with ROS and NLEX. Unless Ginebra bludgeons ROS, both teams, who have better quotients so far than NLEX, will face each other again in the quarterfinals, while NLEX takes on Alaska in the other best-of-three affair. Meanwhile, a four-way tie for seventh to 10th places will also ensue. On which team will enter the quarterfinals outright will depend on the final score of the Phoenix-GlobalPort game, although Blackwater will end up with a less quotient than TNT.
4. Finally, if Phoenix and Rain Or Shine win, the latter will be the fourth seed and NLEX will be the fifth seed, thus a best-of-three between them ensues. Meanwhile, a five-way logjam from sixth to 10th places will take place. GlobalPort and Phoenix's final quotients will be determined after the game. Meanwhile, Ginebra has a quotient of 1.000, Blackwater has a quotient of 0.966, and TNT has a quotient of 0.934.
Summary:
1. NLEX is assured of the Top 6.
2. A win by Phoenix will put either Blackwater or TNT in danger of outright elimination.
3. GlobalPort can only barge to the Top 6 if the team beats Phoenix and ROS stifles Ginebra.
4. Blackwater can only enter the quarterfinals outright if GlobalPort and ROS win.
5. Phoenix needs to beat GlobalPort by a huge margin to avoid to have a chance at making the quarterfinals outright.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
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