Games today:
Mall of Asia Arena
5:45 p.m.- Barako Bull vs. Talk ‘N Text
8:00 p.m.- GlobalPort vs. San Mig
Halfway through the elimination round of the 39th PBA Philippine Cup, it is surprising to see the rookie-laden GlobalPort Batang Pier at the upper part of the standings while the fancied San Mig Coffee Mixers lag behind in the rankings.
The Batang Pier gun for a fourth straight victory while the Coffee Mixers look for their first-ever back-to-back wins in the tournament when the two teams meet in today’s main game at the Mall of Asia Arena.
GlobalPort is enjoying its longest winning streak in franchise history, winning their last three games capped by an impressive 94-84 win over the Alaska Aces last Friday.
The streak allowed the Batang Pier to move up to the fourth spot along with the Rain or Shine Elasto at 4-3 (win-loss).
Rookie coach Ritchie Ticzon said forming good chemistry has been the key in the team’s surge.
“For me, camaraderie and jelling need time. And we’ve been together for a month and a half, and I think nakikita na. Everybody knows how everybody else plays. They know each other more than when we started. Very crucial para sa amin yun,” Ticzon told pba.ph.
Veteran players such as Jay Washington and Sol Mercado have been playing good music together with the team’s young guns led by the explosive Terrence Romeo.
Mercado scored 26 points in the team’s last win against Alaska while Romeo had 21. Washington and rookie RR Garcia also finished in double figures in that game.
San Mig, on the other hand, has been struggling to pile up victories and have yet to tally successive wins in the season-opening tournament.
The Coffee Mixers are coming off a hard-earned 90-88 win over the Barako Bull Energy Colas. Their other win came at the expense of tail-enders Air21 Express but they had to go through two overtime periods before completing a 92-83 win.
“It wasn’t supposed to be this hard to win, but it is,” said San Mig coach Tim Cone after their two-point win over Barako Bull.
San Mig and Barako Bull are tied for the eighth and ninth spots with 2-5 records.
The Energy Colas tried to end a five-game skid when they battled the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters in the first game.
Talk ‘N Text is at third spot with a 4-2 card.