THE race towards the top four intensifies further as the San Miguel Beermen and the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters continue their push to place as high as they can when they face separate eliminated opponents in the resumption of the 2017 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup.
The streaking Beermen (6 wins, 3 losses) aim on keeping in-step with their fellow top-tier teams as they take on the Phoenix Petroleum Fuelmasters (2-8) at 7 p.m. in the main course at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City tonight.
Preceding that is a clash between Rain or Shine (5-4) and the Alaska Aces (3-7) at 4:15 p.m. to open the show.
The quarterfinals cast is already complete this early and the focus of the teams now shift towards a bigger goal—a top four finish.
The top four finishers will enjoy a twice-to-beat incentive against the lower seeded teams in the quarters.
Defending champion Barangay Ginebra (8-2) leads the standings. Trailing closely are the Meralco Bolts (7-2), TNT KaTropa (7-3) and the NLEX Road Warriors (7-3).
The other teams include the Star Hotshots (5-4), the Blackwater Elite (5-5), the GlobalPort Batang Pier (3-7) and the Kia Picanto (0-10).
San Miguel is starting to show its championship form, having won three straight to put itself in a good position to end up inside the top four.
However, it needs to continue its winning streak and win its last two games to be able to secure its place inside the top four.
The Beermen will be heavily favored against the ailing Fuelmasters, who are already out of contention as they are riding an atrocious eight-game losing streak after winning their initial two assignments of the tournament.
Reigning three-time Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo is starting to return to his dominant ways, dropping a season-high 41 points in San Miguel’s 118-112 victory over Kia last Saturday.
Despite its rollercoaster ride this conference, the Elasto Painters are already safely in the quarters and still have an outside shot of landing in the top four.
However, they need to win their final two games and hope that the teams above them drop some games along the way.
Rain or Shine was dealt with an 89-82 loss by league-leader Ginebra also last Saturday.