SAN MIGUEL's hopes of making the playoffs suffered another blow Sunday when TNT handed the PBA Commissioner's Cup defending champion a 115-97 loss that left the Beermen's fate out of their hands.
With their schedule finished and at 10th place with a 5-7 record, the proud franchise will now wait for the outcome of Magnolia and NLEX's final elimination games against separate rivals to know whether they stay alive for the eighth and last playoff spot.
A victory by either team -- Magnolia against Meralco and NLEX opposite Eastern -- would mean San Miguel is out of the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. But if the two teams lose, a triple tie will ensue and it will be decided by a playoff.
Magnolia earlier blew a weary Eastern side, 107-78, to stay alive in the tight race for the remaining berth in the next round.
Coming off a semifinal game in Hong Kong a few hours earlier, Eastern obviously didn’t have the legs to compete and suffered a fourth loss in 11 outings and tied Barangay Ginebra in the standings.
The loss also hurt Eastern’s bid to finish at no, 2 that carries a twice-to-beat advantage in the playoffs.
Below are takeaways heading to the penultimate playdate of the eliminations for the week.
1. MAGNOLIA, NLEX HOLD ITS PLAYOFF DESTINY
Almost given up for good earlier, the Hotshots and Road Warriors have suddenly found themselves in a heated race for the last quarters berth, thanks to back-to-back victories pulled off by both teams. But their jobs are not yet finished. They need to win their last outings in the eliminations to have a good shot at earning a spot into the next round.
2. FAJARDO TO MISS OUT ON BPC AWARD IF SMB GETS ELIMINATED
One casualty in the event San Miguel is ousted from the playoffs is Jun Mar Fajardo. The eighth time MVP will no longer have a shot at winning another Best Player of the Conference award.
The 35-year-old Fajardo was leading the BPC race at the halfway mark of the tournament, but is expected to go down in the standings should San Miguel be relegated in the sidelines during the playoffs.
3. EASTERN A DANGEROUS TEAM IF FOCUSED ON PBA CAMPAIGN
Playing in two different leagues at the same time obviously is taking a toll on Eastern. The team practically had no time to rest upon arriving in Manila following a semifinal game in Hong Kong when it faced Magnolia -- and lost badly.
The same thing happened to Eastern in mid-December when it played league-leader Northport fresh off another game in Hong Kong. Imagine how strong this team would have been if it doesn’t have to travel in and out of the country to play in two tournaments simultaneously.
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