MERALCO has the upper hand for the fourth and final twice-to-beat advantage in the PBA 50th Season Commissioner's Cup quarterfinals.
The Bolts have a 7-3 record heading into the final weekend of the elimination round in which they still have two games, including Friday's contest against also-ran Terrafirma at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Meralco only needs one win in order to clinch the playoff incentive, but two losses, of course, will spell trouble, especially with Magnolia lurking in the shadows.
The Hotshots currently stand at 6-5, with their final game of the elimins, interestingly, set to be against the Bolts on Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
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And apparently, Magnolia's victories against last Philippine Cup finalists San Miguel and TNT have helped its chances of eking out that twice-to-beat advantage. The Hotshots won over the Beermen, 120-101, last April 12, then over the Tropang 5G, 106-94, just last Tuesday.
A four-way logjam for fourth with 7-5 records is possible if Meralco loses its final two games, giving Magnolia the inside track for the twice-to-beat.
For example, a tie among the Hotshots, Bolts, TNT, and SMB will lead to Magnolia securing the highest seed, as it currently has a +31 point differential thanks to routs of the Tropang 5G by 12 and the Beermen by 19, with the winning margin against Meralco also to be added in the computation.
A three-way tie among the Hotshots, Bolts, and San Miguel will likewise result in Magnolia taking No. 4 courtesy of its 19-point victory vs, the Beermen plus whatever winning margin against Meralco.
A four-way logjam among the Hotshots, Bolts, TNT, and Phoenix Super LPG, meantime, will still grant the four seed to Magnolia if it beats Meralco by three points or more, based on unofficial computations. At the moment, the Hotshots have a +9 point differential, with the Bolts at +11 in this scenario.
Nonetheless, in order to avoid the possibility, Meralco must take care of business and just defeat the Dyip to clinch No. 4. If they lose there, the Bolts will then get one last shot at the last playoff incentive against Magnolia.
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