Converge has a real shot at securing a Top Two finish in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup—and a huge part of that could come down to their ability to take down the mighty San Miguel Beer squad.
“Kung papalarin, we want that,” said coach Franco Atienza, hopeful that his squad can handle the Beermen and close out their elimination round campaign at 9-3, which would give them a chance at the twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
It’s a high-stakes matchup that will unfold at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo, with the FiberXers looking to finish strong, while coach Leo Austria’s Beermen are still battling to secure their spot in the postseason, currently fighting for the last playoff berth.
The showdown has all the makings of a classic, with the battle between two of the league’s biggest names: eight-time MVP June Mar Fajardo going up against Converge’s rising star, Justine Baltazar.
“Kung ano ang gameplan, paghahandaan namin at pagtratrabahuhan namin,” said Baltazar, who’s gearing up for his first-ever faceoff with Fajardo.
Atienza is also hoping that Justin Arana is good to go after getting injured in their previous game. Arana, who had to leave early, could be a key piece to help challenge Fajardo under the basket.
“We’ll do our best with or without Arana. Confident naman kami on our other guys. It’s always next man up for us,” Atienza said, emphasizing his team’s resilience.
A win here would temporarily put Converge at the top of the standings at 9-3, but there’s still plenty of competition lurking close behind. NorthPort is at 8-3, while Eastern, Meralco, and TNT are all right there at 7-3.
“We’ll take care of what is at present. Sa ngayon ang present for us is San Miguel. Kung manalo kami, yung ibang games may bearing pa rin. Pero ayaw namin dumating doon (possible tie) na we don’t take care of the things in our control,” said Atienza, staying focused on the task at hand.
As for the Beermen, it’s now or never as they find themselves locked in a fight for survival, tied with Magnolia and NLEX at 4-6, desperately fighting for one of the final playoff spots.
Behind them, Blackwater and Phoenix remain on the fringe at 3-8, their hopes dwindling as the eliminations wind down.
