SAN Miguel and Barangay Ginebra look to arrange a semifinal face-off in the PBA Philippine Cup when they take on separate opponents on Friday.
But Meralco and Converge have other plans as they try to extend their season and force a knockout quarterfinal game.
Aside from how Meralco would contain June Mar Fajardo and CJ Perez, here are the other keys to their quarterfinal match-up.
MERALCO VS. SAN MIGUEL
When: Friday, June 20. 5 p.m.
Where: Ninoy Aquino Stadium
Finals rematch
Meralco defeated San Miguel in last season’s championship series of the all-local conference almost exactly a year ago. This time, however, they clash early in the playoffs with the Bolts looking to extend their title-retention bid, being the eighth-seeded team with a twice-to-win disadvantage. San Miguel, on the other hand, is seeking a measure of revenge against Meralco on Friday for a place in the semifinals. San Miguel won their elimination-round meeting last April 9 during the league’s 50th year anniversary with a 110-98 victory.
June Mar, Cjay have been dominant for SMB
June Mar Fajardo and Cjay Perez were keys to San Miguel’s road to the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, with both squads securing the top two spots in the Best Player of the Conference statistical race. Fajardo is averaging a double-double of 17.55 points and 13.09 rebounds, while Perez is leading the Beermen in scoring with 23.36 points. San Miguel will be difficult to contain with Fajardo’s presence at the paint and Perez’s ability to drive to the basket and improved outside shooting.
Offense vs. defense
San Miguel enters the playoff round as the most prolific scoring team in the league with an average of 108 points, and shooting 48 percent from the field. Meralco has always been known for its defense. Although the Bolts are seventh in points allowed with 98.91, even higher than SMB’s 93.45, they gave up an average of 87.27 points in their six victories. The team which can assert its personality could be the winner in this series.
Coming off an international campaign
The Bolts won’t be coming to the quarterfinals with rust even though their last elimination round game was last May 30. Meralco is fresh from a stint in the Basketball Champions League Asia where the Bolts reached the quarterfinals of the FIBA tournament featuring titlists from the continent.
Cansino could be key for Meralco
Chris Newsome, Bong Quinto, Cliff Hodge, and Chris Banchero are expected to get their usual numbers against San Miguel, but a possible player that could serve as an X-factor for Meralco is CJ Cansino. Cansino’s average rose to 14.7 points over the last three games in which Meralco won.
BARANGAY GINEBRA VS. CONVERGE
When: Friday, June 20. 7:30 p.m.
Where: Ninoy Aquino Stadium
Battling each other in the playoffs for the first time
Barangay Ginebra and Converge square off in the PBA playoffs for the first time ever in this quarterfinals. The Gin Kings finished with an 8-3 win-loss record, and ended up at No. 4 due to an inferior quotient compared to San Miguel, NLEX, and Magnolia. The FiberXers closed the eliminations at solo fifth with a 7-4 slate.
Ginebra defeated Converge, 85-66, in their elimination game last May 10 held in San Fernando, Pampanga.
Closing the eliminations with huge victories
Ginebra and Converge are feeling good about themselves entering the quarterfinal match-up. The Gin Kings ended the eliminations with three straight wins against Magnolia, TNT, and Rain or Shine. The FiberXers won back-to-back games including a 100-97 victory over San Miguel last June 11, a morale boost before they face another powerhouse squad in Ginebra.
Converge must continue to shoot better
The last time it played Ginebra, Converge had its worst shooting game of the conference, making just 31 percent from the field. Since then, the FiberXers shot 52, 51, 50, and 47 percent from the field in the next four games. If the FiberXers continue the trend and hover around 50 percent field goal shooting, they will have a good chance at winning.
LA Tenorio back for Ginebra
LA Tenorio is eligible to play his first game of the conference after being activated into the playoff roster. Tenorio has been out for Ginebra due to his stint as Gilas Pilipinas Youth coach but has since returned to the Ginebra bench in time for the final stretch of the eliminations. His presence on the court will be needed not just for the Converge quarterfinal series but also moving forward, if Ginebra goes on to advance.
Alec Stockton, Justin Arana must bounce back
In Converge’s win over San Miguel, Alec Stockton struggled offensively, shooting just 2-for-12 from the field, and scoring seven points. Frustration also seemed to have gotten the better of Stockton as he had a couple of skirmishes with San Miguel players. Stockton must stay focused as Converge needs him.
Meanwhile, Justin Arana may have scored 21 points against the Beermen but had his least number of rebounds this conference with just two, quite unusual for a player who produces double-double numbers on a regular basis. The FiberXers need his rebounding alongside Justine Baltazar as they go up against Ginebra’s Japeth Aguilar and Troy Rosario down low.
Scottie might finally explode offensively
Scottie Thompson has been producing for Ginebra in other departments. Over the last three wins, Thompson is averaging 7.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 2.7 steals. Thompson could be ripe for a scoring explosion that Converge must brace for.
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