CONVERGE and Barangay Ginebra drew first blood in their respective quarterfinals series and are both now a win away from clinching berths in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals.
The FiberXers drew double-digit scoring from six players led by import Cheick Diallo with 35 points and 17 rebounds, as they whipped Rain or Shine, 130-118.
READ: Converge takes Game One as Rain or Shine import fouls out early
The Gin Kings, on the other hand, pulled away late in the game against Meralco for a 100-92 win.
READ: Ginebra asserts mastery of Meralco, takes 1-0 series lead
With that, Converge and Ginebra took similar 1-0 leads in their own best-of-three series and could wrap up everything with follow-up wins on Friday.
Here’s the takeaways at the start of the playoffs Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
1. THAT WAS THE GAME FOR ROS WHEN THOMPSON FOULED OUT
With no import to man their frontcourt after Thompson fouled out early in the third period, the Elasto Painters just couldn’t keep up with Diallo and the rest of the Converge big men and lost the game.
It was a shocking turn of events for a game that was actually close at that point, 71-70, in favor of the FiberXers. Beau Belga was actually set to come in and replace Thompson when the latter picked up his fifth foul with 8:54 to play, but play immediately resumed and left RoS without time to make a substitution.
READ: Guiao wants PBA refs probed for three quick fouls on import
Unfortunately, 20 seconds later, the Rain or Shine import was called for a landing spot foul that finally sent him to the showers. The Elasto Painters managed to still keep the game close, but one knew it was just a matter of time before Converge took over the match for the win.
2. ISKATI HEATS UP FOR THE PLAYOFFS
The entry of RJ Abarrientos may have taken off some precious minutes from the Ginebra superstar, but come the playoffs, the former league MVP was back doing the usual things he does.
hompson was a wonder to watch in Game 1 against the Bolts, fueling the Gin Kings’ endgame run to score the win. He finished with an all-around 23 points – 9-of-13 shooting – seven rebounds, six assists, and four steals. Expect him to carry the same mindset for the rest of the playoffs.
3. JUSTIN ARANA REMAINS A KEY COG FOR CONVERGE
Amidst the hoopla surrounding the entry of top rookie pick Justine Baltazar, the FiberXers OG slotman remains a force to reckon with for the franchise. Game 1 against Rain or Shine was proof to that.
Coming off a knee injury, Arana delivered 20 points on a near-perfect 10-of-11 shooting from the field and added eight rebounds, as he led Converge on the verge of making the semifinals for the first time in team history. No doubt, the FiberXers need those kind of numbers from the No. 4 overall pick of the 2022 draft if they are going to contend deep into the playoffs.
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