TWO equally important showdowns are bound to take place as teams in the upper half of the ladder resume their respective campaigns in the 2016 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup.
League-leading TNT KaTropa (6-1) looks to bounce back and keep sole possession of first place as it is set to take on a challenge from streaking GlobalPort (3-4), winner of three straight, at 4:15 p.m. in an intriguing clash.
In the nightcap, San Miguel Beer (5-2) wants to keep in-step with the other top teams when it figures in a vital match against Meralco (5-3), which is looking to finally break into the Top 4, at 7 p.m.
The Tropang Texters’ rousing winning streak to start their campaign came to an end last Friday when they got stunned by second-running Mahindra, 107-104. Their six-game winning streak came to a halt but they are still in a good position.
A win will also boost their chances of finishing in the Top 4, the teams of which will earn a twice-to-beat incentive in the quarterfinals against lower-ranked teams.
GlobalPort, a streaking team shooting for a fourth straight win, following an atrocious 0-4 start, is expected to present an acid test for TNT with how it is playing as of late.
After downing the Beermen a week ago, the Batang Pier followed through with a tough 101-99 squeaker over powerhouse Rain or Shine in Legazpi City last Saturday night behind 33 points from Terrence Romeo. That win allowed it to claim sixth place and be in a good position for a slot in the next phase.
Defending champion San Miguel Beer doesn’t want to be left behind as Mahindra and Barangay Ginebra, both already at 6-2, are just half-a-game above it for joint second place positioning.
Despite playing without an import, the Beermen banked on reigning Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo’s 37 points to rip Alaska, 106-103, last week.
“Every player is challenged. We need to have more wins to make sure we’ll end up in the Top 4,” said San Miguel coach Leo Austria.
Not far behind are the Bolts, who are on the outside looking in. They are currently in fifth place and a big win over San Miguel Beer will have the teams switch places in the standings.
“I like our team effort in our last games and we need to continue it to be able to get more wins and hopefully finish in the top four,” said Meralco coach Norman Black.
The Bolts grounded NLEX, 101-95, last week for their second straight win.