An Exciting Finish to the PBA Elimination Round

The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) bubble in Clark opened last October 11. Since then, it has been a roller-coaster ride for both the PBA and the fans as we've seen numerous things hit the bubble from the earthquake, to multiple storms the struck Luzon, and the biggest, two individuals initially testing positive for the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) that led to the temporary postponement of games. The games resumed with three to four games being played per day. Things have changed inside the PBA bubble since it started but one thing remains the same: the league is unpredictable but exciting as this year's edition of the Philippine Cup has been tagged as one of the most open all-Filipino conferences due to the absence of one June Mar Fajardo.

And now that we're cruising towards the end of the elimination round, teams are now jockeying for positions particularly in the top four as a top-four finish comes with a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals. The problem is: the race is so open that even the teams in the fifth to eight spots still have a mathematical chance of finishing in the top four. 

The TNT Tropang Giga started the conference with a five-game winning streak and yet, they lost the top spot. The Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings have clinched the number one seed after winning on Monday against TerraFirma.The Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters just beat the Blackwater Elite on Monday too and that win improved Phoenix's slate to 7-3 that forged a tie for the second spot. The defending champions, San Miguel Beermen remain in the battle for a spot in the top four but they can also drop down depending on the result of their final game plus the games of the other teams. At 6-4, the Beermen join three other teams with identical win-loss records including the Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok who are riding on their five-game winning streak. 

The battle for the final playoff berth is going down to the final two games of the elimination round with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters playing against the Tropang Giga on Tuesday and the Fuel Masters on Wednesday while the NLEX Road Warriors are aiming to take their current winning streak to four games against the TerraFirma Dyip on Wednesday. 

What's more exciting? 

There's still a possibility of six teams finishing with an identical 7-4 record after all the games on November 11 have been played. That's where the quotient rule will come into play. 

Either way, the final two games of the elimination round are going to be exciting as it will determine where teams will end up in the team standings. 

Photo is from ESPN