San Miguel Beer goes for a closing 7-2 win-loss card in the eliminations and the second seeding in the playoffs as the Beermen tangle with the Air21 Express in the penultimate playdate of the PLDT Home TVolution PBA Commissioner’s Cup pre-playoffs at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Wednesday.
Odds are heavy on San Miguel’s side as the Beermen face an Air21 squad that is now just warming up for the coming playoffs.
The Express will be merely out to establish momentum going to the playoffs while the Beermen chase playoffs second seeding and the twice-to-beat bonus in the quarterfinals.
The Holy Wednesday lone match is set at 8 p.m. with San Miguel seeking victory No. 7 to avoid a possible tie with Alaska at second place behind elims topnotcher Talk n Text.
The Beermen and the Aces figure in a playoff for No. 2 if San Miguel yields to Air21 then Alaska beats San Mig Super Coffee at the close of the elims on Easter Sunday.
“Our goal in the elims is to win as many games as we can. And this is a game that we will try our very best not to slip away,” said SMB coach Biboy Ravanes.
The Beermen are the heavy favorites against the team they have not lost a game to since splitting two games in the same tourney last year.
Still, SMB coaching consultant Todd Purves said they would not take anything to chance.
“We’ll not look at that (No. 2 spot). It’s a cliché but we will just look at the particular game we play,” said Purves, vowing complete focus by the Beermen in the game.
The Beermen played with great focus and determination as they drubbed the San Mig Coffee Mixers, 97-88, in a key match Saturday.
The Express, meanwhile, dropped four of their last five games, thus, moving out of contention for the Top Six.
Air21 (3-5) is out of the fight for the best-of-three quarterfinals with an inferior quotient in a possible tie with Rain or Shine (4-4) and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (3-5) for sixth spot. (SB)
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