In normal circumstances, the question tonight should be: Will Tanduay Rhum deliver the killer blow on Purefoods?
But with the Rhum Masters surprising everybody Friday night not on their 85-75 rout of the Hotdogs but on their stint in the hardcourt with Sonny Alvarado in tow, the question now is whether they will continue to play with the controversial Fil-Am player in action and face the risk of forfeiting won games if he is proven guilty of falsification of public documents.
The Rhum Masters moved on the threshold of the finals as they made it two in a row versus the Hotdogs Friday with the team getting a big push on the return of Alvarado who erupted for 26 points on top of 18 rebounds.
The Lucio Tan Group franchise seeks a three-game sweep of the Ayala ballclub as the two teams meet in Game Three of their best-of-five semifinals playoff at 4:15 p.m. at the Araneta Coliseum.
San Miguel Beer and Alaska Milk, which split the first two games of their own series, slug it out at 6:30 p.m.
There was no report on whether Alvarado will play again tonight, with team manager David de Joya saying the player's stint in Game Two was a higher management decision.
The PBA Commissioner's Office, meanwhile, stressed Alvarado is not barred from playing but Tanduay faces the risk of forfeiting won games if the player is found guilty of any criminal charges.
Tanduay coach Alfrancis Chua said he will follow the management's order if it decides to use Alvarado once again tonight. Purefoods counterpart Derrick Pumaren, however, isn't expecting the Rhum Masters to continue risking forfeiture of games.
At the same time, Pumaren expressed hope they can survive a 0-2 deficit in the series and stay on track for a first crown in three years.