source: Waylon Galvez | mb.com.ph
With the first of the two outright semifinal berths in the PBA Fiesta Cup already secured by Talk ’N Text, four teams are in the running for the other one.
Defending champion San Miguel Beer, reigning Philippine Cup champion B-Meg Derby Ace, Alaska, and Barangay Ginebra are in the thick of the fight for the second automatic semis slot.
The Beermen lead the contenders with their 11-4 card win-loss card, but not far behind are the B-Meg Llamados (10-5), the Aces (9-6) and the Kings (9-7).
Talk ’N Text claimed the first outright slot with an 85-82 win over the Gabe Freeman-less SMB last Saturday in the PBA road game presented by Phoenix Fuel in Victorias City, Negros Occidental.
The win extended the Tropang Texters’ winning streak to 13 for a 14-2 record.
"It's a big win for us,” TNT mentor Chot Reyes said. “Now we can relax.”
The Beermen are expected to face a rough sailing in their final game against the Aces on June 26 in Dumaguete City.
This Wednesday, the Beermen will face the Coca-Cola Tigers (6-9), who stunned the Kings (96-95) last Sunday. They will then take on the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (7-7) on Friday.
Even with its recent defeat, Ginebra still has a fighting chance to make it to the semifinals automatically although the Kings have to win their last two games against the Air21 Express (3-12) on Sunday and the Llamados on June 23.
But the fate of Ginebra won’t just fall on the hands of the Kings since a win by SMB will eliminate them in the race.
“Obviously, San Miguel has the inside track. Although they have tough games ahead, including us,” Alaska coach Tim Cone said, as his team will face Rain or Shine on Wednesday, Sta. Lucia Realty (4-11) on Sunday before taking on SMB.
“Our concern is to make the top five,” Cone said. “Once we get to the top five, we can now look at the possibility of making it to top two.
But making the top two is not really our concern.”
As for B-Meg Derby Ace, which won its last three games, including thrilling victories against San Miguel, (83-82) and Rain or Shine (86-84), the Ryan Gregorio-mentored squad will face Talk ‘N Text on Saturday in Tacloban City, then Ginebra and Barako Bull Coffee on June 27.
The teams who will be third to fifth places at the end of classification will also earn outright slots in the best-of-five quarterfinals. The sixth to ninth teams will play in the crossover knockout wildcard phase, while the 10th place team will be eliminated automatically.
Games Wednesday (Araneta Coliseum)
5 p.m. – Coca-Cola vs San Miguel
7:30 p.m. – Rain or Shine vs Alaska
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