Possibility of an Upset: Can Magnolia Overcome Phoenix's Twice-to-Beat Advantage?

The Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok will enter the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup quarterfinals as the hottest team in the league as they finished the elimination round with a six-game winning streak. Unfortunately, they are facing the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters who are armed with a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals. Incidentally, the last time the Hotshots lost a game prior to their winning streak, it was against the Fuel Masters who handed Magnolia a 91-84 loss on October 23. And Phoenix didn't even have Calvin Abueva back in the line-up back then.

Since then, Magnolia seems to have found every possible way to keep on winning. They averaged 92 points in those six wins including a pair of 102-point performances against the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings and the TNT Tropang Giga.  They also limited opponents to 81 points per game. And while Paul Lee was leading Magnolia in scoring in that six-game run with a 21-point per game average, he didn't have to do the heavy lifting on his own as he has teammates who delivered during their decisive run to finish the elimination round. Ian Sangalang scored 23 points off the bench against the NorthPort Batang Pier. Jackson Corpuz had 20 points against Ginebra. Even their rookie, Aris Dionisio had a pair of games where he scored in double figures. What makes Magnolia a dangerous opponent is that the Leethal Weapon isn't the only weapon Coach Chito Victolero can unleash. 

Meanwhile, Phoenix isn't just about Matthew Wright who is averaging a second-best in the league 23 points per game. Jason Perkins continues his impressive run inside the Clark bubble by averaging 19 points and nine rebounds during the elimination round. Then, there's the ever-energetic Calvin Abueva who can cause problems not just by his scoring but by doing practically everything. He is a walking triple-double threat as he is leading Phoenix in rebounds (10 rebounds per game) and assists (six assists per game). There's also Justin Chua who continues to add the three-point shot to his arsenal.

While the quarterfinal slugfest between Magnolia and Phoenix looks balanced in terms of talents, the Hotshots have something that will help them try to overcome that twice-to-win disadvantage: playoff experience. 

If Magnolia finds a way to combine that experience with the talents that they have, Phoenix needs to burn every liter of fuel they have against the Hotshots. 

Photo is from PBA