SAN Miguel Beer wants to keep the fire burning as the pace-setter and league’s hottest team returns to action to face another challenge in the 2015 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup.
Already secured with a berth in the playoffs, the Beermen (7-1), armed with a five-game winning streak, look to enhance their chance of earning an outright berth in the semifinals and finishing in the Top 2 as they go for their sixth win in a row when they play hot-and-cold NLEX (4-4) at 7 p.m. at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.
In the appetizer, GlobalPort (5-3), another team already in the quarterfinals, looks to boost its bid for better positioning when it takes on woeful cellar-dweller Meralco (1-8) at 4:15 p.m.
Currently tied for first with Alaska, the defending champion can once again reclaim sole possession of first place should it continue its winning ways against the inconsistent, but dangerous Road Warriors.
San Miguel coach Leo Austria is happy with how things are going for his team, but he seeks for more as they aim to lock a Top 2 spot as the elimination round winds down.
“We can do a lot of things with our team and we’re in a good position now,’’ said Austria. “Ending in the Top 2 is our goal, so we can go to the semifinals. I think we need to win more games for that.’’
The last victim of San Miguel was Mahindra, which it slammed, 102-86, last week.
On the other hand, NLEX wasn’t as fortunate in its last game as it bowed to the Batang Pier, 96-90, also last week.
The Road Warriors need at least one more win to guarantee their spot in the next round.
Just as expected, GlobalPort has shown drastic improvement and its early entry in the quarterfinals is a proof.
Now, the Batang Pier are aiming to keep their place in the upper half to be able to clinch a Top 6 finish and a twice-to-beat incentive in the quarters.
“Sabi ko sa players focus pa kami lalo para makakuha kami ng twice-to-beat. Iyon ang target namin, kaya we need more wins para sigurado and may separation kami sa mga teams sa ibaba,’’ said GlobalPort coach Pido Jarencio.
The Bolts are hanging on for dear life and their fate isn’t exactly in their hands at this stage.
Meralco needs to win its last two games to at least have a shot at forcing a playoff for a berth in the next round.
Otherwise, it’ll be eliminated outright should it lose against GlobalPort or drop its final assignment.
In its last game, Meralco came close to listing a second win, but it wasn’t meant to be as Alaska still edged it out, 88-86. Currently, the Bolts are on a three-game losing skid.
Games Wednesday
(Cuneta Astrodome, Pasay City)
4:15 p.m. – Meralco vs. GlobalPort
7 p.m. – San Miguel vs. NLEX