TARGET: TOP 6
More than half of the field continues to jockey for position in the penultimate playdate of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup eliminations.
Among them are Philippine Cup three-peat titlist Talk n Text and people’s champ Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, who figure in a key Sunday showdown at 6:30 p.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Both are after a spot in the Top Six to avoid a quarterfinal match-up against a team with a twice-to-beat advantage.
The Kings hope to rebound from a loss to the Alaska Aces Wednesday to close out their elims stint at 8-6.
The Tropang Texters look for the same finish but they need to get past the Kings and the Petron Blaze Boosters to meet their target.
They’re hopeful import replacement Jerome Jordan would fit in their system and help them get the needed morale boost entering the playoff phase.
Before rushing home to attend to his children who got involved in a car mishap, Donnell Harvey helped Talk n Text hurdle GlobalPort, 94-84, in a road game in Iloilo City, and the Texters returned to .500 mark at 6-6.
The Texters need to get going to avoid a seventh or eighth-place windup.
The big question is whether Jordan would be a good fit to the Texters.
The 26-year-old seven-foot Jamaican played college ball with Tulsa in 2006 to 2010 and was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks at 44th overall in the 2010 NBA Draft.
He was traded to the New York Knicks on July 8, 2010 for cash considerations, and was in and out of the Knicks lineup from 2010 to 2012.
He has since drifted to the NBA D-League, playing his last game with the LA D-Fenders only three days ago. He averaged 11.7 points and 7.2 rebounds as a D-Fender.
In his PBA debut, Jordan is up against a tested warrior in Vernon Macklin and the Ginebra team that considered signing him up before the start of the tourney.
Macklin and the Kings have got a good chemistry, working on a tournament-best six-game streak before being stopped by the Aces Wednesday. (SB)
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