In the battle between the rival teams, Ginebra has the upperhand against Magnolia with a twice-to-beat advantage.
Fans are in for a 'Manila Clasico' treat in the quarterfinals as second-seeded Ginebra and seventh-ranked Magnolia slug it out in their quarterfinal clash on Saturday, May 11, at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
The Gin Kings aim to cash in on its twice-to-beat bonus even as the Hotshots gun to slowly chip away their foe's armor.
Game time is at 6:15 p.m.
No. 2 Ginebra vs. No. 7 Magnolia
Elimination round record:
Ginebra (7-4)
Magnolia (6-5)
Japeth Aguilar and Ian Sangalang | Photo (c) PBA
Ginebra opened its campaign strong, taking wins over Rain or Shine and Phoenix.
But after the Gin Kings suffered a blowout 73-91 loss to Meralco, their first of the conference for a 2-1 card, coach Tim Cone called his wards' performance in the match as "embarassing."
Ginebra fell behind by as many as 31 points in the match where it also only managed to cough up 11 assists as a team.
But the Gin Kings quickly regained their footing in the next game – a Manila Clasico showdown with bitter rival Magnolia which Ginebra won, 87-77.
[ALSO READ: PBA: Meralco, NLEX figure in best-of-three playoff duel]
While the Gin Kings failed to ride the momentum and stumbled to San Miguel and Terrafirma next, they were able to triumph over Blackwater, NorthPort, TNT and Converge to propel them to the next round.
Though Ginebra bowed to NLEX, 76-72, in its final elimination round game, it did little to shake off the Gin Kings who already secured the second seed and the corresponding win-once bonus in the playoffs.
Paul Lee | Photo (c) PBA
As for the Hotshots, the conference had not been easy for them either.
Magnolia suffered early losses to Ginebra and NLEX for a 1-2 start. It strung four straight wins thereafter, downing NorthPort, Phoenix, Blackwater and Rain or Shine.
But the Hotshots could not find the stability as they instead lost three of their last four games in the elims as teams made a mad scramble for the last six spots in the quarterfinals, with San Miguel and the Gin Kings as early qualifiers.
[ALSO READ: PBA: TNT, Rain or Shine look to draw first blood in best-of-three quarterfinal clash]
From actually having a legitimate chance of nabbing the second seed and the twice-to-beat incentive, Magnolia tumbled to the seventh spot, sealing a quarterfinal clash with Ginebra.
How Ginebra and Magnolia fared against each other in the elims:
Ginebra pulled off an 87-77 escape act against Magnolia in their elimination round meeting at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last March 31.
The scores did not reflect how cutthroat this 'Manila Clasico' battle was.
With the Hotshots putting up a suffocating defense from the get-go, the Gin Kings only broke free in the final minutes on the way to their third win in four games.
Maverick Ahanmisi delivered the killer blow for Ginebra to hike its lead to 84-75 heading to the last 36.3 seconds of action, shooing away Magnolia which tried to close in for the last time behind Jio Jalalon at 73-77.
Japeth Aguilar's second half explosion was also key as he dropped all but two of his 16 points there after a sluggish first 24 minutes of play, earning him Player of the Game honors.
Stanley Pringle (17 points), Jamie Malonzo (11) and Christian Standhardinger (11) also contributed to the win.
The stubborn, defensive-minded Hotshots side, meanwhile, also had Ian Sangalang (17 points), Paul Lee (12), Mark Barroca (11) and Abu Tratter (10) to lead the way.
[ALSO READ: PBA: Juami Tiongson dedicates Terrafirma's playoff-clinching win to coach Johnedel Cardel]
Players to watch:
Ginebra – Scottie Thompson and Standhardinger remain as the primary weapons for the Gin Kings.
But with guys like Malonzo, Jeremiah Grey and Aljon Mariano out with injuries, Pringle has to continue stepping up for the team.
Maverick Ahanmisi | Photo (c) PBA
Magnolia – It has always been the veterans for the Hotshots. Barroca and Sangalang have been as solid as a rock for Magnolia this conference. Lee can also light up any given night.