IN less than two days, the PBA Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals will get going and it might just very well be the most competitive and unpredictable playoffs in the league over the past few years.
For all the criticisms hurled at the league, both fair and unfair, one thing that’s truly undeniable is how fun this conference has been and it’s fair to expect that the elimination round was just a mere appetizer on what would be a gratifying playoffs ahead.
For starters, it’s the first time in a VERY VERY long time that there won’t be a walking cheat code named June Mar Fajardo lurking the paint after San Miguel’s unlikely early exit in the conference.
And while looking at the field, teams like Ginebra and TNT will always pop out as the familiar, if not logical, favorites, it won’t be crazy to say that any of the eight teams has the capabilities to go all the way and win the entire tournament.
Just look at how tight the team standings were after 12 games.
NorthPort, the league’s top seed, ended the tournament with a 9-3 record – and that’s just three games ahead of its eighth-seeded opponent Magnolia, which ended the elims with a 6-6 record.
In this crazy build-up, nearly every team has beaten each other, adding up to the unpredictability of the playoffs.
It’s also nice to see the diverse representation in the playoffs with two each from the major blocks (SMC: Ginebra, Magnolia; MVP: TNT, Meralco), three independent teams (NorthPort, Converge, Rain or Shine) and the lone guest team in Eastern.
That said, here are some interesting things to look at in the upcoming PBA Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals.
Northport’s golden chance
NorthPort did the unthinkable this conference. Not only did the Batang Pier make great leaps by clinching their first top-seed in franchise history, they also swept the entire SMC bloc in this conference.
Not bad for a team that’s often dragged into ‘farm team’ conversations.
You know what will hush those talks for good? A PBA title. And NorthPort certainly has the manpower to take a shot at it.
READ: Lucero warns NorthPort presents a lot of problems for Magnolia
Arvin Tolentino, by far the best local scorer in the league today, leads this young and exciting Batang Pier squad alongside versatile two-way players like Joshua Munzon and William Navarro.
They also have the perfect reinforcement in Kadeem Jack, who fills the hole in the middle while they also have excellent role players surrounding their stars like Sidney Onwubere, Allyn Bulanadi, Cade Flores and wily guards Fran Yu and Evan Nelle.
What makes this run even more interesting is that to do that, they might just very well be the team which eliminates two San Miguel-owned franchises.
The Batang Pier currently own twice-to-beat advantage over the Magnolia Hotshots in the quarterfinals, and if they advance, a best-of-seven showdown with No. 4 seed Ginebra could be on the horizon, especially if Akil Mitchell stays on the sidelines for Meralco.
The coast is clear for the Batang Pier. Now it’s all up to them if they want to set sail, or stay on the docks once more.
An unfortunate, yet exciting, quarterfinals match-up
Perhaps the only complaint that I have in the upcoming playoffs is seeing Converge and Rain or Shine go at it this early, in a best of three, instead of what would’ve been an epic best-of-seven series between two on-the-rise independent teams.
Both squads made some noise last conference, with the Elasto Painters making it all the way to the semifinals and the Fiberxers pushing the San Miguel Beermen to a do-or-die match-up in the quarters.
READ: Guiao looks forward to fresh start for RoS come quarterfinals
They’ve kept their steady rise this conference, with the reloaded Fiberxers claiming the third-seed as top rookie Justine Baltazar eases his way in alongside Jordan Heading, while the Elasto Painters overcame a late-conference wobble to stay as the six-seed.
Both teams love to run and this series will feature an exciting backcourt war with Converge’s Heading, Alec Stockton and Schonny Winston going toe-to-toe with the likes of Rain or Shine’s Adrian Nocum, Andrei Caracut and Anton Assistio.
This has all the makings of one of the most exciting and action-packed finals series, and while I would’ve wanted to see this in a seven-game series, I don’t think this is the last time these two teams will cross paths in the playoffs.
Guest teams make the league better
I don’t know how much gas Eastern has left in the tank, but I hope it still has plenty cause it certainly spiced things up this conference.
Our favorite phrase when talking about Eastern is – ‘it’s not Bay Area,’ but honestly speaking, it didn’t have to be – it just had to be competitive, it just had to play the right way and that’s something that it has done this conference.
And the Hong Kong-based squad isn’t done yet with a date against the mighty TNT Tropang Giga set for them.
They’ve played some great basketball this tournament, and now it all depends on whether or not they still have the legs to compete after juggling three different leagues in one stretch.
But whether TNT unloads them of one of their burdens or not in the quarterfinals, their run in this conference was still a success and proves that the league should consider inviting more guest teams from neighboring countries in the future.
There are a lot of things to consider, especially from the logistic side of things, but this is an initiative that the PBA should certainly continue doing in the future. Maybe an invitational cup somewhere down the road? That would be nice.
TNT vs Ginebra rematch?
Listen, there’s still a big chance that for all the talks about this field being wide open – it’s still TNT and Ginebra who’ll meet in the end of it all for the second straight conference.
And that’s normal. They’re intact, they’re coached by two of the greatest coaches in PBA history and they have built teams that are set out to win championships.
But it won’t be foolish to say that the field is starting to even out.
For as long as the teams like Converge and Rain or Shine keep building on its respective rosters, for as long as NorthPort tries to keep its promising young core for once, the league will continue to be interesting.
Everything else will follow for this league.
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