Do or die for Gems, Slashers

Cebuana Lhuillier will enjoy the momentum but Negros could well be inspired by its hometown fans as the two teams dispute the Southern Conference championship and a slot in the MBA National Finals in a deciding Game Five of their best-of-five showdown at the St. La Salle Gym in Bacolod today.

Gametime is at 5:30 p.m. with the protagonists likely to figure in a down-the-wire duel in deciding which team gets a shot at the national title against Northern Conference champion LBC Batangas.

The Blades reigned supreme in the North by repulsing the defending champion Andok’s San Juan Knights, 88-83, Wednesday. The Gems forced a rubbermatch with the Slashers in their own playoff in the South with a 93-85 win at their hometurf at the Cebu Coliseum on the same day.

But the Slashers are playing at the comfort of their homecourt in today’s do-or-die match and they’re likely to get a morale-boost from their highly-supportive crowd.