Star, Blackwater face off in must-win tiff for playoff berth
The Star Hotshots and the Blackwater Elite both pursue an outright playoff entry as they clash in an all-important battle in the Smart Bro PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Friday night.
Game time is at 7 p.m. with both chasing the ninth quarterfinals slot.
The Hotshots hope to recover from an 18-point rout by the Barako Bull Energy the last time out to automatically secure the quarters spot.
The Elite, however, prolong the fight for the last two slots in the quarterfinals if they pull the rug from under the Hotshots.
Star, with a 3-7 win-loss mark, and Blackwater, at 2-7, are barely ahead of Mahindra at 2-8.
A win by Blackwater over Star opens the possibility for a three-way tie for ninth and 10th places among the Elite, the Hotshots and the Enforcers. In this scenario, the team with the superior quotient takes ninth spot, leaving the two other teams to dispute in a do-or-die tiff the 10th and last berth.
The Elite dash that possibility if they beat the Enforcers in another vital tiff Sunday at the MOA Arena in Pasay City.
“We don’t want to stay in the balance. We’ll try out best to automatically make the quarters versus Blackwater,” said Star coach Jason Webb.
Their problem is how to be stable and consistent in their game.
A former four-peat champ under coach Tim Cone, the Star squad has won just once in its last six games.
The Elite are better off at least in their last few games. They barely lost a double-overtime battle against the Barangay Ginebra Kings, 94-102, then repulsed the Barako Bull Energy, 116-92.
“We’re pushing our players hard in practice. We’re reminding them na pwede pa kaming pumasok sa playoff,” said Isaac. (SB)
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