Painters out to slay Giants; Texters battle Kings

source: Nelson Beltran | philstar.com

Reigning champion Talk n Text and worthy title contenders Purefoods Tender Juicy and Barangay Ginebra plunge back into action at the start today of the KFC PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals at the Araneta Coliseum.

Rain or Shine, grabbing the last seat in the quarters via the wildcard plays, completes the cast figuring in two separate best-of-five series to determine the two teams joining Alaska Milk and San Miguel Beer in the Final Four.

The Giants battle the Elasto Painters at 5:30 p.m. then the Tropang Texters clash with the Kings at 7 p.m. in the opener.

Purefoods, being the playoffs third seed, is the odds-on choice versus the Rain or Shine team which barely made the quarters on upset wins over Sta. Lucia Realty and Coca-Cola in the wildcards.

Coach Ryan Gregorio, however, said they’re not about to take the Elasto Painters lightly specially with their remarkable turnaround from their scrambling 4-14 win-loss showing in the elimination phase.

“I felt their 4-14 mark at the end of the elims is not an indicator of their real roster power. True enough, they played to their true potential and survived two knockout games,” said Gregorio.

The youthful Purefoods mentor hinted they would give special attention to Sol Mercado and Gabe Norwood defensively.

“The duo is towing their team to victory. Mercado was superb in their last three games and he must not be allowed to score at will. Norwood has been the stabilizer, he must not be comfortable in running their offense,” Gregorio said.

Purefoods walloped Rain or Shine by a whopping average margin of 23 points in the elims, but Gregorio stressed they’re playing the ElastoPainters in an entirely new battle.

The Painters themselves are upbeat on their chance.

“I think we’re peaking at the right time. If we get a good rhythm, we’ll be all right,” said Mercado.

The Texters and the Kings brace for war in their own showdown.

It’s a battle between a team aiming to be the first team in over two decades to defend an all-Filipino title and a team out to improve from a runner-up finish in the most recent Fiesta Conference.

Ginebra is one seed higher at No. 4 but coach Jong Uichico feels they’re the underdogs as they’re playing the defending champions with a healthy lineup.