Two semis slots still up for grabs

Two in, two more to go. Barangay Ginebra and TNT claimed two early slots in the PBA Governors’ Cup semifinals with resounding victories in the quarterfinals. Two more are up for grabs with San Miguel Beer going for the clincher against Converge at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium tomorrow and Rain or Shine battling Magnolia in a do-or-die dogfight at the Ynares Center, Antipolo, on Saturday.

Ginebra made short work of Meralco in sweeping their best-of-five quarterfinal duel while TNT needed four games to repulse NLEX in their tie. San Miguel was about to dispose of Converge in Game Three of their series last Monday but got the shock of its life when Alec Stockton hit a jumper to bail out the FiberXers, 114-112. Converge will try to survive another back-to-the-wall contest tomorrow with the hope of forcing a winner-take-all showdown. Rain or Shine failed to close out Magnolia in Game Four last Tuesday and their tussle has turned into a highly-emotional war. The Chicken Timplados Hotshots blasted the Elasto Painters, 129-100, in Game Four and with the shift in momentum, coach Chito Victolero is hoping to pull the rug from under Rain or Shine. But don’t count out coach Yeng Guiao whose squad is nowhere close to giving up.

In the best-of-seven semis, TNT will face the Rain or Shine-Magnolia winner and Ginebra will meet the San Miguel-Converge survivor. With the new PBA format, it will be like two finals series in the semifinals. Either Rain or Shine or Magnolia will be a tough nut for TNT to crack while Ginebra will have its hands full against the Beermen, expected to turn back Converge for a semis ticket. In the finals, the teams left standing will slug it out and any combination will be a thriller. It could be TNT against San Miguel in a fierce encounter of flagship teams or it could be a Manila Clasico with Magnolia against Ginebra or TNT against Ginebra or Magnolia against San Miguel or Rain or Shine against Ginebra or San Miguel. Looks like the fans are in for a triple treat with two exciting semifinal series and a dramatic finals.

TNT’s ascent to the semis was inevitable, finishing the elims with a league-best 8-2 record. For the conference, the Tropa has lost only to Converge by one, Terrafirma by 12 and NLEX by 18. Kelly Williams’ reactivation has been a factor in the surge. He sat out TNT’s first six games then came on strong to hold the fort in the middle, allowing Rondae Hollis-Jefferson to do this thing from whichever position he chooses. Coach Chot Reyes has reinstated Calvin Oftana in the first five and Jayson Castro continues to come off the bench with only one start this conference. RR Pogoy and Rey Nambatac are providing heavy artillery so Reyes has the elements of an explosive starting cast. TNT is the league’s No. 1 defensive team, yielding less than 90 points a game but in the quarters, the Tropa delivered a statement that its offense won’t take a back seat, averaging a hefty 113.7 points in three wins over NLEX.