THE PBA flies back to far south this Saturday, bringing the Barangay Ginebra-Converge face-off at the Aquilino Pimentel Jr. International Convention Center in Cagayan de Oro.
Though practically miles apart in the team standings, the third-running Gin Kings are taking the FiberXers with a lot of caution, especially with coach Aldin Ayo and his troops just having snapped out of a long stupor.
They duke it out at 6:15 p.m. with the Kings not just trying to put a lock on a playoff berth but also to fan their hopes for a Top 2 finish and the twice-to-beat bonus in the quarterfinals.
The FiberXers, for their part, pursue a bid for a good finishing kick in an otherwise fumbling run all the way from last campaign.
Converge ended a long winless spell with a 104-99 upset of Meralco Sunday at the PhilSports Arena. And Ayo hopes they can make a run to end their PBA Season 48 campaign.
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"We're excited to take that first win and we want to exit this conference on a high note and hope to carry it over to the next conference," said Ayo.
"We didn't lose hope when the losses were piling up. On the contrary, the players, the entire team became even more motivated," said Ayo also said.
"If you noticed, we've been playing hard. Active ang lahat sa bench, from the coaching staff to the players. They're all playing their roles, supporting each other. Hindi mo makikita na low morale even though ganito ang standing namin."
But, for sure, they would need more than that to have a chance against the Ginebra team which has just got an additional piece in free-agent acquisition David Murrell.
The Kings are coming off three straight wins and, at 6-3, are determined to get going in pursuit of the "win-once" quarters bonus.
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Of course, the immediate goal is to seal their quarterfinals entry.
Not a few believe San Miguel Beer, at 7-0, is cinch to take the top spot. At posting time, in a tight rumble for second are Magnolia (5-2), Barangay Ginebra (6-3) and NLEX (5-3)(SB)
