IT was a big day for teams under the MVP umbrella in the PBA Philippine Cup as NLEX and TNT hacked out contrasting wins at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Friday.
The Tropang 5G kept rolling up in the standings after making short work of the Blackwater Bossing, 108-82, for their sixth straight win and a 6-3 record overall for a tie with Barangay Ginebra and Rain or Shine for fourth place.
The Road Warriors, meanwhile, rallied back from a 19-point first quarter deficit to nip the Magnolia Hotshots, 107-99, breaking free from their victims to claim the solo lead with an 8-2 record.
READ: Fiery NLEX runs over Magnolia, clinches twice-to-beat incentive
Suddenly losing two games in a row, the Hotshots fell out of the top spot for the first time with their 7-3 slate at no. 2, while the Bossing slipped to a 1-8 record with their sixth straight loss.
Here are three takeaways in the weekend twin bill marking the penultimate week of the season-ending tournament.
1.MAGNOLIA LOOKING VULNERABLE ALL OF A SUDDEN
The Hotshots lost their last two outings shortly after pulling off the trigger in the Calvin Abueva for William Navarro trade with Northport. And it's not a good sign that those losses came against NLEX and Barangay Ginebra, two tough contenders who are occupying spots in the Top 4 standings.
READ: Another blown lead chips away at Magnolia's confidence
Both losses also saw Magnolia failing to protect double digit leads – 10 against the Kings in the final quarter and 19 points opposite the Road Warriors in the opening period. The stretch marked the first time the Hotshots lost back-to-back games in the conference and came just as the elimination phase is about to wind up and the playoffs set to start.
It may not be panic time yet for the Hotshots, but its certainly alarming to see the team to start breaking down just when the going is finally getting tough in the All-Filipino conference.
2. 'HALIBERTO' LEADS WAY IN ANOTHER CHARACTER WIN FOR NLEX
The Road Warriors are certainly the surprise package at this point of the season-ending meet. This NLEX team just showed how resilient it is by digging itself out of a deep hole early in the game against the Hotshots.
Any team facing such adversity could have easily crumpled in the face of a fine, sizzling start by Magnolia. But not the Road Warriors as rookies Xyrus Torres, Brandon Ramirez, Jonel Policarpio, and JB Bahio teamed up with veterans Javee Mocon, Kevin Alas, and the prolific Robert Bolick to pull off the stunning win, which came just a few hours after the Indiana Pacers stole Game 1 of the NBA finals by also rallying from a 15-point fourth quarter deficit to upset the Oklahoma City Thunder at home.
In that light, reporters playfully teased Bolick in the post-game press conference, calling him 'Haliberto' for his clutch play in the comeback win.
NLEX is living in the moment, and hopefully, the team finds a way to sustain it.
3.TNT SUDDENLY HAS SURPLUS OF GUARDS
The acquisition of Jordan Heading and signing of Mike Nieto from the unrestricted free agency had the Tropang 5G overloaded at the guard spot. Prior to the arrival of the two, the team just signed up old hand Almond Vosotros to complement Brian Heruela and Simon Enciso running the backcourt.
Then there’s also the hot-shooting Roger Pogoy, not to mention the possible return of Rey Nambatac (groin) and Jielo Razon (appendix) to the active roster once finally healthy come the playoffs.
Nonetheless, this will be a good problem for Chot Reyes and his coaching staff to figure it out.
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