Ginebra takes another crack at playoff spot
With or without Japeth Aguilar, Barangay Ginebra is expected to go all out to nail its second shot at an outright quarterfinals entry versus NLEX in the penultimate play date of the PBA Philippine Cup elimination round at the Cuneta Astrodome Sunday.
Dropping their last game against the Phoenix Fuel Masters, the Gin Kings are hard pressed to bounce back to avoid complications of logjams at eighth place.
Ginebra takes its last shot at an outright quarters slot at 6:45 p.m. against an NLEX side looking to put a winning note on a short stint in this all-Filipino tourney.
Win or lose, the Road Warriors are to finish dead last in a tourney for the first time in franchise history. For coach Yeng Guiao, it’s his first in 16 years or since the 2000 Commissioner’s Cup with Red Bull.
A win by the Kings clears the way for their quarters passage. But a loss may send them to a knockout playoff for the last quarters slot.
Ginebra blew its first crack at the Final Eight on a 73-79 loss to Phoenix where the Kings badly missed the service of the injury-hit Aguilar.
Aguilar suffered a muscle strain on an awkward fall from a dunk in their 99-90 drubbing of Blackwater on Jan. 20
But NLEX is now also without a key player in Sean Anthony, who sustained an ankle sprain in practice.
Anthony, a Mythical Second Team awardee in 2016, sat out their 96-106 loss to Mahindra Friday night.
Even with the presence of Anthony, the Road Warriors struggled badly in the tournament, winning just twice against Alaska Milk (99-97) and TNT KaTropa (110-98). They suffered blowout losses to Meralco, Star, Blackwater, San Miguel Beer, Rain or Shine, GlobalPort, Phoenix and Mahindra.
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