AFTER dodging outright elimination, Magnolia and NLEX fight to resolve which is joining the playoffs picture - and which is not - in a do-or-die tussle Sunday at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo.
The Hotshots and the Road Warriors duke it out for the last quarterfinals berth at 7:30 p.m. - a survival match with the winner gaining the right to face twice-to-beat top seed NorthPort in the Last Eight.
Both sides have won three do-or-die matches, and they're determined to stretch their run to reach the quarterfinals destination, joining other qualifiers NorthPort, TNT, Converge, Meralco, Barangay Ginebra, Rain or Shine and Eastern.
Given this opportunity after having given up for dead, the Hotshots and the Road Warriors are now hell-bent on making it four in a row to reach the post-elims play.
"Two weeks ago, we were on the brink of elimination pero ngayon may tsansa (to make the quarterfinals), so we'll take this," said NLEX coach Jong Uichico.
Sponsored content:
"We're grateful to be given a chance na makapaglaro for No. 8 and ginagrab lang namin ang opportunity," said Magnolia's Chito Victolero.
"I'm proud and thankful of the players sa lahat ng effort nila. Trinabaho nila ito sa practice; we're practicing like game-day situation so talagang deserving nila na nandito kami (playoff for No. 8)," he added.
Driven by survival and pouncing on the absence of Meralco's Akil Mitchell (back spasm), the Hotshots caught up with the Road Warriors at the end of the elims after a 129-92 rout of the Bolts Friday.
Two nights earlier, the Road Warriors had their own big win, revving up and rolling to a 94-76 thrashing of the Eastern dribblers from Hong Kong.
That NLEX victory proved to be the final nail on San Miguel Beer's coffin. The Beermen are
now out of the playoffs for the first time in 10 years.
Sponsored content:
Also failing to get past the elims are perennial tailenders Terrafirma and Blackwater.(SB)
