THE PBA Philippine Cup eliminations will end with the slam bang showdown between Magnolia and TNT as part of a crucial doubleheader at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Dec. 21 playdate was the postponed games scheduled last Nov. 9 when super-typhoon Uwan threatened both Central and Northern Luzon.
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The Hotshots-Tropang 5G tipoff was supposed to be the curtain-raiser to the Barangay Ginebtra-Titan Ultra tussle at the Ynares Center in Montalban.
Going to the FIBA window break for the World Cup qualifiers, Magnolia and TNT are tied at 5-2 in a four-way logjam at No. 2 spot together with Converge and defending champion San Miguel.
Ginebra meanwhile, is tied with Meralco for the No. 8 spot at 3-4, and Titan Ultra remains in the tight race for a berth in the playoffs at 2-6 along with Phoenix.
Ironically, both Magnolia and TNT face stiff competition in the respective final four games in the season-opening conference.
The Hotshots take on the FiberXers when the conference resumes on Dec. 5 at the Ynares Center in Antipolo, followed by co-league leader NLEX (6-2) on Dec. 7, Rain or Shine on Dec. 15 at the Khalifa Sports City Stadium in Bahrain, before capping it off with the game opposite TNT.
The Tropang 5G on the other hand, will meet the reigning champions Beermen on Dec. 5 in a rematch of the last Philippine Cup Finals, followed by the Road Warriors on Dec. 13, Blackwater on Dec. 19, and finally the Hotshots two days later.
The quarterfinals is tentatively set to start on Dec. 25.
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