The fates of not just 2 or 3 or 4 but 8 teams are what’s at stake on the final day of the PBA Philippine Cup elimination round on Wednesday.
Star and Mahindra play at 4:15 p.m., while Alaska and Rain Or Shine collide at 7 p.m. at Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.
| PBA Philippine Cup standings | ||||
| Team | Won | Lost | Pct | Next game |
| x San Miguel | 10 | 1 | 0.91 | (no games left) |
| y Alaska | 6 | 4 | 0.60 | Rain Or Shine (Feb. 1) |
| y Star | 6 | 4 | 0.60 | Mahindra (Feb. 1) |
| y Phoenix | 6 | 5 | 0.55 | (no games left) |
| y TNT | 6 | 5 | 0.55 | (no games left) |
| y GlobalPort | 6 | 5 | 0.55 | (no games left) |
| y Ginebra | 6 | 5 | 0.55 | (no games left) |
| Rain Or Shine | 5 | 5 | 0.50 | Alaska (Feb. 1) |
| Blackwater | 5 | 6 | 0.45 | (no games left) |
| z Meralco | 3 | 8 | 0.27 | (no games left) |
| z Mahindra | 3 | 7 | 0.30 | Star (Feb. 1) |
| z NLEX | 2 | 9 | 0.18 | (no games left) |
| x - Twice to beat; y - Quarterfinals; z - Eliminated ~Standings updated after January 29 games | ||||
Here are some of the possible outcomes:
- If Star wins, the Hotshots take the No.2 seed only if Alaska loses.
- If Alaska wins, the Aces take the No.2 seed regardless if Star wins or loses.
- If both Alaska and Star lose, 7 teams will end up with a similar 6-5 record. Except for Phoenix, which gets the No.8 seed outright, all those teams’ fates will be determined by a tiebreaker known as the quotient.
- If Rain Or Shine loses, the Elasto Painters will battle Blackwater in a playoff for the No.8 seed.
For the uninformed, this is how the quarterfinals will play out:
- The Nos. 1 and 2 seeds will carry a twice-to-beat advantage when they take on the 7th- and 8th-ranked teams, respectively.
- The Nos. 3 and 4 seeds will play the Nos. 5 and 6 seeds, respectively, in a best-of-3 series.
San Miguel is guaranteed the No.1 spot, while Mahindra, Meralco and NLEX are out of the running.
Only Star and Alaska have a shot at No.2, while TNT and GlobalPort are assured of landing a best-of-3 series.
So for what will the other teams in the lower half of the standings be praying?
- Ginebra is hoping Alaska and Mahindra win to get the No.6 seed outright. Any other scenario would put them at risk of finishing at 7th.
- Phoenix is praying for Star and Alaska to win in order to get the 6th seed outright. Any other scenario would put them at either 7th or 8th.
- Blackwater is wishing for a Rain Or Shine loss. That’s the only way Blackwater can force a playoff for the No.8 seed. If Rain Or Shine wins, Blackwater will be eliminated.
There's a chance your head is spinning by the time you're done reading this.
If you're a PBA fan, Wednesday can't arrive fast enough.
For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website.
0 comments :
Post a Comment