Chase for quarterfinal slots heats up

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ALL four teams seeing action today have one simple target—boost their chances of making it to the playoffs of the midseason tourney.

Who will hit their immediate goal will be known when foreign guest team Eastern battles NLEX in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The match is set at 5 p.m., before the marquee duel pitting Ginebra and Meralco at 7:30 p.m.

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Road Warriors coach Jong Uichico could not emphasize more the importance of their clash with the equally top eight-chasing visitors.

“Iyong ibang teams naglalabanan na for placing, pero kami makapasok muna ang nasa isip,” Uichico said. We don’t know kung ano mangyayari sa ibang laro.

“Ayaw naming umasa sa ibang teams kasi hindi mo naman mako-control ibang laro,” he added.

A win by NLEX will push its record to 6-6 and forge a logjam at No. 7. But after using the pro league quotient as a tiebreaker, the Road Warriors will bag the seventh seed, with the Magnolia Hotshots and Rain or Shine Elasto Painters left to figure in a knockout tiff for the eighth and last QF berth.

NLEX could lose and fall into a triple tie at 5-7 with the Magnolia and defending champion San Miguel Beer. Then Rain or Shine clinches the seventh spot while the former and the Beermen collide for No. 8.

The Road Warriors are coming off a 122-110 drubbing of the Painters last Saturday and will pin their hopes anew on gunner Robert Bolick, import Mike Watkins, Tony Semerad, and Kevin Alas.

“You really have to play above your average kasi Eastern ganoon talaga laro, very consistent sila,” Uichico said. “Iba ang personnel ng Magnolia, so hindi puwedeng what they did we can probably do.

“We cannot duplicate or carbon copy kung ano ang ginawa ng Magnolia. The only thing you can do is play the best you can, play hard and hope that you win the game.”

Eastern dropped a 78-107 loss to Magnolia last Sunday that pulled it down to 7-4 and will rely on reinforcement Chris McLauglin, Glen Yang, Kobey Lam, and Hayden Blankley.

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