ACES, EXPRESS IN MUST-WIN GAME
AIR21’s hold on a prolonged life in the PBA Governors’ Cup looks flimsy indeed, but Alaska is not about to let that fact derail it from its own purpose.
“We cannot look past Air21,” said coach Luigi Trillo on the eve of his Aces’ match with the Express Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena, a match that offers them a shot at a coveted slot.
A win by Alaska gives it a playoff spot for the No. 4 seeding and its accompanying twice-to-beat advantage in the ensuing quarterfinals. A loss, however, would relegate the Aces into the lower half of the last eight.
A win may not even be enough to get Air21 through. For the Express to play off for the No. 8 slot, they must first emerge triumphant and Talk N Text goes on to beat Barangay Ginebra San Miguel by at least 22 points in the match ending the eliminations later in the evening.
All the other remaining scenarios point to the Bert Lina-owned franchise’s season playoffs appearances cut at two.
Trillo knows any team worth its salt, like Air21, would take care of its own end of the business first and then let the cards fall where they may.
“They still have a remote chance of getting a playoff for that eighth spot,” stressed Trillo.
What gnaws at Trillo most is the fact Air21’s recent acquisitions and additions, like Asi Taulava and Joseph Yeo, have done their share to make the Express more lethal than the team it started the conference with.
“They have Asi now, which makes them bigger. Yeo also adds firepower,” pointed out Trillo.
Another concern for Trillo is how to divide up the minutes for his star players since should they achieve their purpose, the knockout games are set just 24 hours later. (NC)
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