MERALCO has been ousted from quarterfinal contention in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup following its defeat to NLEX on Wednesday.
The Bolts squandered an 18-point lead and lost to the Road Warriors, 92-81, to bow out of the playoff race with a 4-7 win-loss card and still one game to play.
[READ: NLEX beats Meralco to keep playoff hopes alive]
This despite a chance to end up in a tie for eighth place at the end of the eliminations, which will occur with a loss by Rain or Shine to Magnolia on Friday. The Elasto Painters are currently holding the eighth spot with a 5-6 record, followed by the Road Warriors with a 5-7 mark.
So why is Meralco already out of the running for the quarterfinals?
In the event of a three-way tie for the No. 8 spot, PBA rules state that the top two teams with the superior quotient will play a knockout game for that final ticket to the quarterfinals, with the team with the inferior quotient to be eliminated.
In such a scenario, NLEX and Rain or Shine will play in that do-or-die game with the Road Warriors and the Elasto Painters having a 1.10 and 1.06 quotient. Meralco has the inferior quotient with a 0.86.
Rain or Shine though can avoid a knockout game for the eighth spot with a win over Magnolia on Friday. That’s easier said than done, however, as Magnolia also needs a win to secure the final twice-to-beat spot in the quarterfinals.
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