Terrence Jones of TNT KaTropa posts up against the defense of Ginebra’s Justin Brownlee in an elimination round game of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Araneta Coliseum. contributed photo | PBA Images
Game on Friday
(Araneta Coliseum)
7 p.m. — Ginebra San Miguel vs. TNT KaTropa
Cebu City, Philippines—It’s down to four.
The PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinal cast was completed after Rain or Shine defeated Blackwater, 85-83, in the last quarterfinal matchup on Thursday night, July 25, 2019, at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
The win put the Elasto Painters in a semifinal clash with the powerhouse San Miguel Beermen, who survived a twice-to-win disadvantage against Northport to advance.
The other semifinal pairing pits top-ranked TNT KaTropa and crowd-favorite Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.
The TNT-Ginebra series begins Friday, July 26, while the San Miguel Beer-Rain or Shine series starts Saturday, July 27. The semis will be a best-of-five affair.
In a report in PBA’s official website (pba.ph), Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia admitted San Miguel will be a tough team to beat, despite losing one of its key players in Marcio Lassiter due to injury.
Lassiter will be out for six weeks after sustaining a knee injury in a game against the Batang Pier.
“Kahit wala naman si Lassiter, they have too many weapons in that team,” Garcia said in the article.”Yung mga hindi pa nagagamit doon, sila (Ronald) Tubid, (Von) Pessumal [have] been stepping up this conference.”
San Miguel didn’t have a good start, though, in this conference until it changed import midway through. The Beermen barely made it to the quarters, finishing seventh by winning three of their last four matches in the elimination round.
June Mar Fajardo of San Miguel posts up against Rain or Shine’s Jewel Ponferada in an elimination round game in Cagayan de Oro City. contributed photo | PBA Images
But Garcia knows the Beermen are a different team in the playoffs.
“And we know going to the semis, iba na ang laro nila (Chris) Ross, nila (Alex) Cabagnot. They’re gonna lose a great shooter but they have players who can fill up that spot,” Garcia said.
But Garcia believes they have a fighting chance if they keep it close against San Miguel, just like how their lone elimination round encounter ended.
In that game in Cagayan de Oro City, San Miguel escaped with a 89-87 victory but not after some scary moments in the final period.
“We’re going to figure out things on how to at least keep the game close until the end,” Garcia added.
TNT, meanwhile, is getting ready for a slam-bang affair against the Gin Kings.
The KaTropa finished at the top of the standings after the eliminations and shook off a pesky Alaska squad in the quarterfinal round.
Ginebra took care of business early, dispatching the Magnolia Hotshots in the quarters.
There’s a lot of hype with the import matchup of both teams with TNT parading the high-scoring NBA veteran Terrence Jones and Ginebra banking on the ever-reliable Justin Brownlee.