Rivalry between top-flight reinforcements all set to be rekindled
TWO quarterfinal series have been set following the result of the second game of the Sunday double-header in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
NLEX won over Barangay Ginebra in overtime, 103-99, which settled which team will face which in the next phase of the conference.
NLEX vs. TNT in quarterfinals
By winning on Sunday, NLEX clinched the No. 4 seed in Group B with a 5-5 slate. This is even with a Blackwater victory over Rain or Shine on Monday that would forge a deadlock in the win-loss column, as the Road Warriors have a better quotient against the Bossing.
In effect, NLEX will take on the No. 1 team in Group A in TNT, which ended the eliminations with an 8-2 slate after its 99-79 victory over NorthPort.
Rivalry renewed between Ginebra, Meralco
For Ginebra, the defeat slipped it into a tie with San Miguel both at 6-4. But the Gin Kings will fall to the No. 3 position due to an inferior quotient since they lost by 49 huge points against the Beermen in their second round encounter.
With Ginebra obtaining the No. 3 spot, it’s now on a collision course with Meralco, the No. 2-ranked team in Group A after ending up with a 7-3 win-loss slate.
There’s a lot of history between the Gin Kings and Bolts, with the former winning three battles in the finals of the Governors’ Cup, with Justin Brownlee and Allen Durham set for another duel, but this time in the quarterfinals which is going to be a best-of-five affair.
Only two seeds are yet to be settled on Monday when Magnolia faces Converge at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. With both teams at 5-4, the winner of the contest will grab the No. 3 spot in Group A and will go up against Group B No. 2 San Miguel in the quarterfinals.
The loser, on the other hand, will arrange a series against Group B top-seed Rain or Shine in the quarterfinals.
