Kings poised to reign in the elims

MANILA, Philippines -- Through the 2013 stretch of the PBA Season 39 Philippine Cup, the fight for the Top Two in the elimination round is only among Barangay Ginebra, Petron Blaze, Rain or Shine and Talk n Text.

Petron coach Gee Abanilla foresees Barangay Ginebra sustaining its romp to nail the top playoffs seeding and leaving Petron, Rain or Shine and Talk n Text in a wild battle for No. 2.

“They have the edge and the momentum. They look cinch to get the No. 1 spot,” Abanilla told The STAR.

As the tourney resumes with a double-header at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City tomorrow, the Gin Kings pace the field with a 9-1 win-loss card.

“They have a good schedule and they’re really playing well. Mukha talagang mauuna na sila sa itaas,” said Abanilla.

Petron is a full game behind Ginebra at 8-2, and Abanilla said they’re going through a tough grind to close out their 14-game elimination round stint.

In their last four games, the Boosters tangle with the Barako Bull Energy Cola, the Globalport Batang Pier, the San Mig Coffee Mixers and the Meralco Bolts – four teams all determined to spark a rally to make the Top Six or the best-of-three quarterfinals series.

The good news for the Boosters is that Junemar Fajardo has started to do some shooting in practice.

“He looks good now, unlike the past few days where he dragged his foot. There’s a good chance he’ll be back in our game against Barako (on Wednesday) but it will still depend on the assessment of the doctor,” said Abanilla.

The 6-foot-10 Cebuano behemoth sat out their last two games due to an injured right knee sustained in practice.

The Boosters dropped to second place in team standings after losing two of their last three outings.

Breathing down Petron’s neck are Rain or Shine (7-3) and Talk n Text (6-3).

Globalport and Alaska are out for the fight for the Top Two with identical 4-6 cards. And so do the rest of the field.

The Top Two enjoy a twice-to-beat advantage versus Nos. 7 and 8 in the quarterfinals. The next four figure in a best-of-three quarters series while the last two are out after the last game of the elimination play on Jan. 19.

The pacesetting Ginebra team plunges back into action against San Mig Coffee Sunday.

Then the Kings take in the Energy Cola, the Batang Pier and the Tropang Texters.
Rain or Shine, meanwhile, has Globalport, Talk n Text, Meralco and Air21 as last assignments.