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SERVICES
THE INQUIRER COMPANY
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05
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03
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2024
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SERVICES
THE INQUIRER COMPANY
05
03
2024
Meralco and GlobalPort clash Tuesday night for a twice-to-beat slot in the quarterfinal playoffs of the PBA Philippine Cup as the elimination round winds up at the Cuneta Astrodome.
Gametime is at 7 p.m.
This is notwithstanding the outcome of the 2 p.m. game encounter between Grand Slam champion Purefoods (5-5) and Barako Bull (4-7), and the 4:15 p.m. meeting between semifinal-seeking San Miguel Beer (8-2) and winless expansion team Blackwater (0-10).
Both teams are coming off contrasting victories: Meralco needed a strong finish to put down Manny Pacquiao’s Kia Motors, 99-93, on Dec. 3, while GlobalPort, with new coach Eric Gonzales, roughed up Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (6-5), 98-77, on Nov. 30.
That 21-point victory over Ginebra is most crucial to GlobalPort at this juncture.
Given a scenario where Barako Bull beats Purefoods despite Mick Pennisi’s jump from the Energy to the Hotshots, the winner of the GlobalPort-Meralco game will dislodge Barangay Ginebra from the No. 5 spot, with the Kings slipping to 6th place.
Ginebra fell to Meralco as well in the elims, 109-99.
But should Purefoods prevail over Barako Bull and Meralco beats GlobalPort, a 3-way tie among the Bolts, the Kings and the Hotshots will take place, with Ginebra, on the strength of its 89-66 rout of Purefoods earlier, retaining the No. 5 spot and Meralco settling for No. 6 in the playoffs.
A 3-team logjam among Ginebra, Purefoods and GlobalPort, on the other hand, will hand the Batang Pier the No. 5 berth with Ginebra sliding to No. 6.
The loser will drop to the twice-to-win bracket, alongside Purefoods, Barako Bull and NLEX.
Gonzales, an assistant coach at Far Eastern U in the recent UAAP wars, has injected a new kind of aggressiveness into the Batang Pier after taking over from former Santo Tomas mentor Pido Jarencio, combining platoon substitutions with zone presses and a relentless running game to send Barangay Ginebra on its knees.
How well that brand of play will work against a more laid back and deliberate system as Norman Black’s Meralco will be most interesting to find out.
GlobalPort will be fired up from all cylinders by Terrence Romeo, Stanley Pringle and Alex Cabagnot, while Meralco can expect guns blazing from Cliff Hodge, Jared Dillinger, Sean Anthony and Gary David.
The possibility is strong they’d meet again in the playoffs as matchup rivals. (WJRHT)
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