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| Magnolia must beat TNT on Friday night to avoid complications. PBA Images (file photo) |
MANILA--When Magnolia raced to a 6-0 start in the PBA Philippine Cup, many fans thought their time is now.
And then, a slump of three losses in the last four games happened, and here we are: the team that once took pride in being the "Kings of All-Filipino" could be in trouble of being one quarterfinal loss away from another shattered dream.
The good thing for the Hotshots is that all that fear can be wiped away with just one win on Friday night against the TNT Tropang 5G.
A win will officially lock in a twice-to-beat advantage for Magnolia in the next round, meaning they only need one win to make the semifinals instead of falling to the one-loss elimination disadvantage.
However, a loss could indeed drop the Purefoods franchise out of the Top 4.
Remember when we introduced the potential multiple-team tie at 7-4 when discussing the Converge FiberXers' situation?
The Hotshots are another team that may even find itself in trouble if this happens.
Magnolia's first two losses came at the expense of Rain or Shine and Ginebra, respectively.
A win by the Elasto Painters against the Gin Kings on Sunday night, assuming the Hotshots fall to the Tropang 5G, means the four teams will end up tied at 7-4 along with the Converge FiberXers.
While Magnolia beat Converge on April 9 by 12 points, the combined losing margin against ROS and Ginebra (18) suffices to say that the Hotshots will remain at a less than one quotient, and the eventual final margin of the TNT win would just make it worse.
Even if San Miguel bows down shockingly to NorthPort also on Sunday night to potentially set up a six-way tie for the second to seventh seeds, considering that the Hotshots only beat the Beermen by three points, it may only be of little help for them if they still want the Top 4.
Simply put, to avoid any complications, Magnolia must beat TNT.
What if TNT beats Magnolia?
How about TNT?
Since the Tropang 5G are also in the Top 4 race, the imperative, of course, is to beat the Hotshots to get a better shot at the quarterfinal bonus.
However, considering the potential implications of the possibility that ROS beats Ginebra on Sunday night, TNT might rather think about dealing a blowout win against Magnolia to further boost their chances.
To summarize, the Tropang 5G must win by a blowout.
Follow him on X: @IvanSaldajeno
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