BOOSTERS HAVE TOP 2 IN SIGHT
Petron Blaze pursues a Top Two finish while San Mig Coffee presses bid to land in the Magic Six as they clash in an expected all-out battle in the PLDT myDSL PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Wednesday night.
The Boosters are out to stay right behind pacesetting Barangay Ginebra San Miguel while the Mixers are out to jack up their stock at fifth place as they square off at 8 p.m. in this Wednesday doubleheader ushering in the final week of the elimination round.
Petron repulsed San Mig Coffee, 91-78, in their initial meeting, but the Mixers have hit good strides in their last two games, giving the team good reason to believe that they can get back at the Boosters.
The Mixers stopped the Kings, 83-79, in their first game in 2014, and then overcame the Air21 Express, 67-60, in a defensive battle Sunday.
The Boosters, meanwhile, went a bit shaky especially during the sidelining of June Mar Fajardo, losing three of their last five outings.
Both teams can no longer afford to lose if they’re to achieve their respective goals since Petron (9-3) is in a tough fight with Ginebra (10-2) and Rain or Shine (9-3) for the Top Two while San Mig Coffee (5-7) is in a mad scramble for the two remaining slots in the Magic Six with Meralco (5-7), Barako Bull (5-8) and Globalport (5-8).
“Walang kasiguruhan, but I think our record is favorable for us,” said Petron coach Gee Abanilla, confident they would end up in the Top Two and gain a crucial twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
“I don’t think we’re peaking. But I’ve told the players we just want to get better little by little. The key for us is to get there,” said San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone.
The Mixers are hopeful they can compete with the Boosters with or without two-time MVP winner James Yap.
Yap was again out due to back spasms Sunday but PJ Simon, Marc Barroca and Yancy de Ocampo ably carried the fight as San Mig Coffee slammed the quarterfinals door on Air21, 67-60.
“Any win at this time is a pretty win. It’s a struggle without James (Yap) but anything for us in the win column is beautiful,” said Cone after that particular game.
The Boosters were also triumphant in their last game, boosted by the return of Fajardo.
“A lot of guys did a terrific job, but June Mar was a big key. He gave us a different look. It’s really different with him on the floor, offensively and defensively,” said Abanilla.
Fajardo missed their last three games due to a bruised knee. And Petron went 1-2 in the absence of the 6-foot-10 Cebuano behemoth.
In his return, Fajardo collected 12 points, six rebounds, two blocks and one steal in 24 minutes of action.
A positive note for San Mig Coffee was Yancy de Ocampo doing a good job versus Asi Taulava in preparation for his match-up with Fajardo.
De Ocampo helped San Mig a lot versus Air21 as he collected double-double numbers while holding Taulava to five points. (SB)
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