Two teams fight for their lives while two other squads dispute a crucial automatic semifinal berth in a pair of playoff games today in the 37th PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Meralco Bolts meet the Powerade Tigers in a do-or-die encounter at 5:15 p.m. while the Barangay Ginebra Kings and the B-Meg Llamados hope to join automatic qualifier Talk ‘N Text in the Final Four round when they clash in the 7:30 p.m.main game.
Meralco, Powerade and the Barako Bull Energy all finished the elimination round four wins and five losses. Owing to their superior quotient, the Energy advanced to the quaterfinal round as the number five seed.
In the quarterfinal round, the Energy will play the Alaska Aces in a best-of-three series starting Sunday. The Aces ended the eliminations with a 5-4 (win-loss) card.
The Kings and the Llamados both tallied six wins and three losses after the eliminations, finishing behind the defending champions Texters, who wound up with a 7-2 slate to secure the first of two outright semis berths.
The winner in the main game will join the Texters in the Final Four round while the loser will play the winner in the first game to complete the quarterfinal pairing.
The loser in the first game will join early casualties Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, Petron Blaze Boosters and Air21 Express.
The three eliminated teams all finished the elimination round with six losses against only three wins. /EDITORIAL ASSISTANT CALVIN D. CORDOVA