NLEX already has a twice-to-beat privilege all sewed up, and five other teams are scampering for the last three of those bonuses with one in all them, traditional powerhouse San Miguel, seeing motion and needing to be perfect the remaining of the option to achieve this.
The Road Warriors close out their surprising elimination round run against also-ran NorthPort within the 5 p.m. contest at Ninoy Aquino Stadium, with the win giving them temporary hold of No. 1 spot and what needs to be the lightest task in the primary round of the playoffs.
“I’m just surprised at how the team is playing,” coach Jong Uichico said after the playoff bonus-clinching 107-99 victory over Magnolia last week.
“They’re really performing well and I’m just blissful that they’re winning and the work they’ve been putting in during practices are paying off.
“It’s hard for those who keep working without being rewarded. But no less than, they get rewarded for his or her labor with the variety of games that we’ve won,” he added.
San Miguel then takes the ground next at 7:30 p.m., on the lookout for the primary of two wins that would knock the Road Warriors out of that spot since they may each find yourself tied with 9-2 records after the single-round classification with the Beermen to win the tiebreak due to winner-over-the-other rule.
NLEX has won its last two games and is on this position with the Road Warriors responding to teach Jong Uichico and letting Robert Bolick do his thing on the ground.
Should the Road Warriors win and San Miguel splits its last two games, the Beermen’s last task also being the Batang Pier, NLEX will top the eliminations and can draw defending champion Meralco within the quarterfinals.
TNT, Rain or Shine, Barangay Ginebra and Magnolia are the three other squads on the lookout for that quarterfinal bonus, and of the three, the Tropang 5G have a slightly tough path to get that, as not even a win over the Hotshots on Friday would guarantee them of the privilege.
Ginebra could hold the important thing for the Tropang 5G for a top-four finish, as a win over the Elasto Painters when each teams close out eliminations next week will give TNT that ride.
That became the scenario for the Grand Slam-seeking side after losing badly to Ginebra the last time, a 19-point debacle that now requires TNT to beat Magnolia by a margin larger than that and hope for a Rain or Shine win for them to make the highest 4.
