BARANGAY Ginebra and Magnolia collide for the first time in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup as the two of the league's most popular squads try to win and improve their playoffs chances on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Gin Kings (2-2), currently tied for sixth to eighth spots with the San Miguel Beermen (3-3) and TNT Tropang 5G (2-2), take on their long-time rivals, the Hotshots (2-3), at 7:30 p.m.
The 5:15 p.m. game, meanwhile, features unbeaten Rain or Shine shooting for its sixth straight wins and potentially be the first to secure a playoff spot when it battles skidding Converge (1-3).
The Gin Kings enter their all-important game against the Hotshots coming off an 82-85 defeat to the Beermen in a game that saw them put to waste a 15-point lead on Easter Sunday.
Veteran big man Japeth Aguilar missed his second straight game on Sunday, and his presence will definitely be needed when the Gin Kings face the Hotshots in a head-to-head duel known as Manila Clasico.
Magnolia has won its last two games under new import Clint Chapman, who has averaged 33.5 points, 13 rebounds and 1.5 assists since replacing Nuni Omot.
Chapman’s inside presence has definitely made a positive effect for Magnolia due to his rebounding, scoring and inside presence.
“We’ll be ready not because it’s Ginebra and Manila Clasico, but because we need to get ready because we’re still below.500 in the standings,” said Magnolia coach LA Tenorio, whose team started the conference with three straight losses.
Tenorio is bracing for a tough battle against a team he helped win eight championships before becoming the Hotshots’ head coach last year.
“I know Ginebra will be ready after the bad loss last game. I know coach Tim, he’s gonna make his team ready going into Friday’s game,” he added.
As for Rain or Shine, coach Yeng Guiao believes six will be the magic number as far as entering the playoffs is concerned.
“As far as our calculation is concerned, six or seven wins will get us to the quarterfinals,” Guiao said in Filipino, whose team is coming off a king-sized 116-112 win against powerhouse San Miguel Beer last Wednesday.
The win pushed Rain or Shine to its franchise best start.
“We now have five wins and maybe another win could get us to the quarterfinals, but just to be sure, we need to get seven wins,” he added.
“That’s our objective and we don’t even mind if we end up No. 1 or No. 2 in the standings. The important thing is we reach the next round.”
Of course, winning against Converge would be a fitting reward for Gabe Norwood, whose No. 5 jersey will be officially retired by Rain or Shine at halftime.