FOUR teams scrambling for playoff berths seek crucial wins today in the Philippine Basketball Association Developmental League Foundation Cup at Ynares Arena in Pasig City.
Marinerong Pilipino (3-4) takes on Wang’s Basketball (5-4) and struggling Racal Motors (3-4) battles skidding Team Batangas (4-3) in a pair of interesting matches that could also determine which six teams are advancing to the playoffs.
Amid their struggles, the Skippers kept their playoff aspiration alive with a 119-74 blowout against also-ran Zark’s Burger on Tuesday. And they hope to stay in contention with another victory against Wang’s Basketball at 3 p.m.
“Hopefully, we could build on this [victory against Zark’s Burger]. We just have to stay focused and do the things that work for us and see what happens,” Marinerong Pilipino Coach Koy Banal said.
The Couriers are on the verge of advancing to the next round but a second straight loss against the Skippers could spoil their bid. Wang’s Basketball fell against Tanduay, 93-81, also on Tuesday.
The other game at 5 o’clock between Racal Motors and Team Batangas also promises to be a hell-of-a-leather encounter, with both clubs going all out for a win to stay in the playoff race.
The struggling Alibaba have lost four of their last five, including a heartbreaking 71-72 decision against Marinerong Pilipino last week.
“Right now, our backs are against the wall. But nothing changes, we’ll still take one game at a time. We’re still optimistic we can make it [quarterfinals],” Racal Coach Jerry Codiñera said.
Team Batangas, meanwhile, have lost two in a row and look to score a bounceback victory to bolster its playoff bid.
“I keep challenging my guys, telling them my goal is to make the quarterfinals.We did well early, but the last two defeats hurt our campaign. Hopefully, we’ll find a way to get back on track,” Batangas Coach Eric Gonzales said.
As it is, only conference leader Flying V (8-0), Cignal (7-2) and Tanduay (6-2) have secured their place in the playoffs with the Thunder and the Hawkeyes gaining outright entry into the semifinals.