THE stage has been set as the PBA Philippine Cup playoffs reel off starting Sunday at the Don Honorio Ventura State University gym.
PBA playoff matchups 2021
As top seed TnT Tropang Giga awaits which between Phoenix and defending champion Barangay Ginebra it will face in the quarterfinals series, the rest of the field already are gearing up for their respective match ups.
Tim Cone's Ginebra and Phoenix under Topex Robinson are set to dispute the No. 8 seed.
No. 2 seed Meralco Bolts just need to win against seventh seed NLEX Road Warriors for a return trip to the semifinals of this same conference for the second straight year.
The Bolts finished the elimination round strong by winning all of their four games coming back from quarantine protocols for a 9-2 record, while the Road Warriors were relegated at no. 7 with a 5-6 mark after losing to the Bolts in their final outing, 104-101.
The Tropang Giga, who lost just once in 11 games, likewise own a twice-to-beat edge against the winner of the Kings-Fuel Masters playoff for the last quarterfinals berth to be disputed on Saturday.
Meanwhile, third seed Magnolia (8-3) faces no. 6 Rain or Shine (6-5) in a best-of-three series, and no. 4 San Miguel (7-4) battles no. 5 NorthPort (6-5) in a similar race-to-two affair.
The Batang Pier and Elasto Painters ended up tied with similar win-loss record, but NorthPort ended up with the higher seeding following its 91-88 overtime victory over Rain or Shine.
Failing to make the quarterfinals are Terrafirma (4-7), Alaska (3-8), and Blackwater (0-11)
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