AFTER getting blown out in their last game, both GlobalPort and Columbian Dyip must pick up the pieces and do a quick turnaround.
They have no other choice, for their collision Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum should prove to be critical in their bid for inclusion in the PBA Commissioner's Cup playoffs.
More so for the Dyip, who have no other fallback unlike GlobalPort. As things stand they sorely need a fifth win in order to stay among the top eight advancing to the quarterfinals following the 11-game eliminations.
Even a 5-6 record may not be enough since other teams which are also in the running may emerge with better records and/or Columbian gets forced out by an inferior quotient.
But the Dyip are clinging on to that hope, no matter how slim, and are even upbeat going to the match.
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"We are excited that at the last game of our eliminations sked we have a shot at making the playoffs," said Columbian coach Ricky Dandan a day after his side absorbed a 107-134 shellacking from Barangay Ginebra.
"I will make sure that our guys will give everything we have to get that pivotal fifth win," added Dandan.
Initially, one may get the impression that GlobalPort is better off since it has another game left. But that one is against resurgent Ginebra, which has now won three in a row.
Also, the Batang Pier themselves need to win over both the Dyip and Gin Kings to avoid any complication and make through outright.
"We have to play consistent, good basketball offensively and defensively," said GlobalPort coach Pido Jarencio.
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Those were basically the same words Jarencio said before his team faced Phoenix, but the Batang Pier still got beaten black and blue by the Fuel Masters, 108-135, also last Wednesday.
What should prove vital for GlobalPort is how Malcolm White and Stanley Pringle would rebound from so-so performances in their last game.
Against Phoenix, White got totally outplayed by Eugene Phelps and consequently rode the bench in the last 15:28 of the match, winding up with just 24 points and six rebounds to the latter's triple double of 37 points, 23 rebounds and 10 assists.
For his part, Pringle struggled in the face of a ready double-team in his penetrations, caught fire late but still finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists against eight turnovers.
Columbian, meanwhile, would be looking mostly at Rashawn McCarthy to lead the local support for John Fields.(NC)
