RAIN or Shine and Magnolia got right back on the winning track after pulling off all-important wins in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Thursday night.
The Elasto Painters made short work of erstwhile league-leader Northport, 127-107, to snap out of a two-game slump, while the Hotshots weathered repeated comebacks by Phoenix to prevail, 110-104.
Rain or Shine climbed to a 6-3 record to create a four-way logjam with Barangay Ginebra, guest team Eastern, and Meralco, even as Magnolia improved to 4-6 and got back in the running for the No.8 quarterfinals berth.
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Northport suffered a second straight loss, but stayed at second spot at 7-3 in a tie with Converge.
Phoenix for its part, saw its two-game win-streak come to a close for a 3-6 slate and in danger of missing the playoffs.
The weekend doubleheader at the Philsports Arena offered some interesting takeaways and here are some of them.
1. NORTHPORT SHOWING CRACKS – just when it appeared the Batang Pier are being considered as a legit title contender, back-to-back blowout losses against Meralco and Rain or Shine suddenly raised doubts if they’re really good enough to make it deep to the playoffs. So far, the team remains tied at second place and still on track for a Top 2 finish for a twice-to-beat advantage in the playoffs. But certainly the losses against the Bolts and Elasto Painters by an average margin of 18.5 points definitely left a bad taste in the mouth especially for a team that was consistently on top of the standings right from the get-go of the mid-season tournament. Northport ends its elimination round assignments with games against defending champion San Miguel and Blackwater.
2. PETER ALFARO PROVES WORTH FOR MAGNOLIA – the rookie guard out of San Beda took advantage of coach Chito Victolero’s decision to put him in the starting unit in a backcourt tandem that also featured fellow Zamboangueno Mark Barroca. Alfaro finished with a conference-high 14 points spiked by a perfect 4-of-4 stint from three-point range and 5-of-5 from the field overall. With Paul Lee still nursing injuries heading to the final stretch of the eliminations, Alfaro, a third-round pick of the Hotshots in the recent draft, could possibly get more exposure and playing time the way he outdid himself in the win over the Fuel Masters. Moreover, with the Magnolia backcourt not getting any younger, the 5-foot-11 guard could well become the young core of the Hotshots’ future along with Jerom Lastimosa and Zav Lucero.
3. RJ JAZUL GOES DOWN AS 2ND PLAYER TO COMPLETE 5-POINT PLAY – the veteran Phoenix guard joined Robert Bolick as the only players to convert a five-point play in PBA history. Jazul did the feat in the first half of the Fuel Masters’ game against the Hotshots when he connected on a four-point shot while being fouled in the process by Rome De La Rosa. He calmly sank the bonus free throw to achieve the rare play. Incidentally, Bolick also did the trick at the expense of Magnolia after Lastimosa committed a foul on the NLEX guard. Incidentally too, both the Fuel Masters and Road Warriors lost their game against the Hotshots, the remarkable plays notwithstanding.
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