MAGNOLIA staved off outright elimination by downing NLEX, 112-81, in their do-or-die encounter to take the last quarterfinals ticket in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Sunday night at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
Import Ricardo Ratliffe continue to pick up his game after a slow start due to a shoulder injury, dropping 32 points and 14 rebounds in the win that dashed away the playoff hopes of the Road Warriors.
Now the no. 8 Hotshots will face top seed Northport and will need to win twice to topple the Batang Pier and advance to the semifinals.
READ: Magnolia blows away NLEX to catch last bus to PBA playoffs
The quarterfinals will kick off on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Here are the final takeaways before the playoffs get underway at the Big Dome.
1.CHITO VICTOLERO KEEPS PLAYOFFS STREAK INTACT
The all-important win over the Road Warriors meant the Hotshots won’t be missing the playoffs under Victolero. The last time Magnolia missed the quarterfinals came during the 2016 Governors’ Cup when the team was still under Jason Webb.
The following season, Victolero took over the coaching helm and the Hotshots haven’t missed the playoffs since then.
By making the quarterfinals, the Hotshots have now overtaken the San Miguel Beermen for the second longest consecutive playoffs appearances in the league at 19 next after Barangay Ginebra (47) as per PBA chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III.
2.ROBERT BOLICK MISSES OUT ON BPC PLUM
The ouster of NLEX also torpedoed the Best Player of the Conference (BPC) bid by the high-scoring Bolick.
The San Beda guard, who leads the tournament in assists department with 7.8 per game, was expected to give Arvin Tolentino of Northport a good fight for the highest individual award of the conference after perennial winner June Mar Fajardo exited with the failure of San Miguel to advance into the next round.
But with Bolick likewise out of the way, Tolentino’s chance at winning his first career BPC plum has gotten even better. TNT’s Calvin Oftana and Converge rookie Jordan Heading are out to give Tolentino a run for his money in the BPC race
3.MAGNOLIA SHOWING RESILIENCY
The Hotshots survived their fourth do-or-die game against the Road Warriors and actually face their fifth straight sudden-death match against the Batang Pier on Thursday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
A victory would again force them into a winner-take-all encounter as Northport owns a twice-to-beat edged for finishing as the top seeded team at the end of the eliminations. How long can Magnolia stay alive?
But numbers and history appear to be favoring the franchise. The team, as per Mr. Mangonon, holds the league record for most consecutive do-or-die games at six which it accomplished during the 1996 Governors’ Cup.
Then carrying the brand name Purefoods, the team won its last four game of the eliminations after a 1-4 start to forge a playoff with Sta. Lucia for the last quarterfinals berth.
It managed to advance in the playoffs and won its first meeting against San Miguel, which owns a twice-to-beat advantage. But its luck eventually ran out as the Beermen prevailed in their You-or-I match, 89-86. Will Magnolia rewrite history this time?
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