THE PBA 50th Season Commissioner’s Cup playoffs begin on Wednesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium with top-seed NLEX and No. 4 Meralco out to book a place in the semifinal round.
Here is a preview of Wednesday’s gameday.
TNT VS. NLEX
When: Wednesday, May 13. 5:15 p.m.
Where: Ninoy Aquino Stadium
Vies for semifinal berth
NLEX goes for a semifinal berth on Wednesday when it battles TNT. Being the top-seeded team after a 10-2 win-loss campaign in the elimination round, the Road Warriors hold a twice-to-beat advantage against eighth-ranked TNT.
Fighting for dear life
TNT looks to keep its title-retention bid alive on Wednesday when it faces NLEX. The Tropang 5G took the eighth seed with a 6-6 win-loss record after their 93-86 defeat to Barangay Ginebra last Sunday.
READ NLEX has won once, lost twice with twice-to-beat advantage
Previous match-up
TNT was one of the two teams that defeated NLEX during the elimination round. The Tropang 5G beat the Road Warriors, 103-97, last March 22. Can TNT do it again to extend its conference?
Outrebounded by Ginebra
TNT was outrebounded badly by Barangay Ginebra, 67-38, with the Tropang 5G giving up 15 rebounds to Justin Brownlee and 12 to Ralph Cu. Bol Bol had 10 rebounds, but no one from TNT's locals came close to double figures.
Ending elims on a winning streak
NLEX goes into the quarterfinals with momentum, having won four straight games including a 123-112 overtime win over Titan Ultra. Despite the victory, the Road Warriors needed to earn the win against the pesky Giant Risers squad, perhaps a good wake-up call for the team entering the playoffs.
Defensive battle
Not much is being said about NLEX’s ability to play defense, one of the reasons for their success this conference. NLEX is third in points allowed with 97.33, and has a defensive rating of 105.4, which is second in the league.
TNT is also a solid defensive squad, being at fifth in points allowed with 99.5 and third in defensive rating with 105.7.
MAGNOLIA VS. MERALCO
When: Wednesday, May 13. 7:30 p.m.
Where: Ninoy Aquino Stadium
Stay alive
Magnolia attempts to continue its campaign at the start of the quarterfinals of the Commissioner’s Cup. The Hotshots capped off the eliminations with three straight victories including a 93-76 win over Meralco last Sunday to clinch the No. 5 seed in the playoffs. The Hotshots will still need to win twice over the Bolts to advance.
Meralco eyes another semis stint
Meralco will look to make it to the semifinals for the second straight conference with a win over Magnolia. In the last Philippine Cup, the Bolts were the seventh seed but overcame Rain or Shine to advance to the semifinal round despite a twice-to-win disadvantage. This time around, Meralco only needs to win once to advance.
Defensive effort lacking for Meralco
Meralco was outrebounded by Magnolia, 50-42, and had just one block, far from its usual average of three during the eliminations. The Bolts allowed the Hotshots to shoot 43 percent from the field.
Javi a big boost for Magnolia
After playing mostly in limited minutes this conference, Javi Gomez de Liano has surged his production for the Hotshots. Over the last three games where the Hotshots have a winning streak, Gomez de Liano is averaging 12 points on 61 percent true shooting percentage.
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