Half-healthy Pop Cola faces Alaska

Johnny Abarrientos is still nursing a bruised knee while reliever Ato Morano is hobbled by a sprained ankle, thus, Pop Cola is walking wounded when it plays Alaska Milk in their PBA Governors Cup quarterfinals matchup at the Araneta Coliseum today.

"Alaska is on the run then we have no Johnny in our lineup. So we just hope to keep the game close and figure out how to win at endgame," said Pop Cola coach Chot Reyes, wary of their chances with his ace pointguard still in the injured list.

"Yung nandiyan nga si Johnny, tinalo kami ng Alaska. Kaya siguradong mahirap ang lagay namin," he added.

But the Panthers are lucky they managed to get into the Top Four because of a superior quotient, thus, they carry a twice-to-beat advantage versus the Aces in their matchup.

Should Alaska beat Pop Cola in their 6:10 p.m. tiff tonight, Abarrientos may be fit to play already when the Aces and the Panthers meet in a do-or-die duel.

Abarrientos suffered a medial cruciate ligament sprain in a collision with Ali Peek in the Alaska-Pop Cola game in the eliminations last Nov. 4. The Panthers became unhealthier when Morano sustained a sprained ankle versus the Talk N Text Phone Pals last Sunday. Morano skipped two practice days of the team.

Oozing with excitement and confidence are the Sta. Lucia Realtors against the Red Bull Thunder in their own quarterfinals matchup.

They play in the 4:05 p.m. curtain-raiser with the Realtors, seeded No. 2 in the quarters, also taking their first of two cracks at the semis.

San Miguel gained the first seat in the Final Four with a 77-63 drubbing of Talk N Text Friday. Barangay Ginebra, meanwhile, forced a rubbermatch with Shell as the Kings walloped the crippled Turbo Chargers, 97-75, on the same day.

For the record, since the quarterfinal playoff was first applied in the league in the 1996 Governors Cup, only 15 matchups went to a sudden death. Of this number, only four teams succeeded in beating their opponents twice to advance to the best-of-five semifinals.

With these four teams – Shell, San Miguel and two Ginebra squads – doing the trick, Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao and Alaska coach Tim Cone see no reason why they can’t do the same thing.

The Thunder are hoping to hurdle the Realtors to stay in search of a second straight championship following their Commissioner’s Cup title conquest while the Aces are entertaining hopes of making a mark with their new, young players.

"We’re hoping to make the semis and make some noise there," said Cone.

Meanwhile, San Miguel’s Danny Ildefonso may have put the lock on a second straight Most Valuable Player award as he led Red Bull’s Davonn Harp by nearly a thousand statistical points after the elimination round of the season-ending conference.

Fil-Am standout Danny Seigle is actually at second place behind Ildefonso but his MVP bid is ruined by a back injury that has kept him from playing for 14 games now.

Two other Beermen in Nick Belasco and Olsen Racela are in the top five of the MVP race. Running sixth to 10th are Ali Peek, Jun Limpot, Mark Caguioa, Kenneth Duremdes and Rudy Hatfield.