Fans love to dwell on What Ifs sometimes. So we decided to answer the question: What if the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup started today?
What if the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup elimination round ended during the Christmas break?
Teams currently seeded from three to six will engage in a best-of-three series. Winners will advance to the best-of-seven semifinals, before the two survivors square off in a seven-game finale.
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On that note, here’s the second part of how the PBA Commissioner's Cup playoffs will look like if they started today:
Eastern (3) vs Meralco (6)
This will be a tall task for Meralco, which is reeling from back-to-back losses before the Christmas break.
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For one, Eastern has shown that chemistry makes a world of difference and the team now led by Chris McLaughlin, with Hayden Blankley and Glen Yang have muscled their way to a strong 6-2 win-loss record.
Meanwhile, the Bolts just activated Allein Maliksi and import Akil Mitchell but both still groping for form, if their Christmas Day game against Converge is any indication.
Still, Meralco is also known for having the “next man up” mentality, something the the team's championship core can always cling to when push comes to shove.
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Converge (4) vs Ginebra (5)
Here’s the ultimate test for Converge (6-2), which is on a four-game winning streak in the ongoing Commissioner's Cup.
But this could also be the best time to beat the Gin Kings (4-2), who are still trying to get their bearings going in the mid-season tournament.
With a young core that includes Jordan Heading, Justi Arana, Alec Stockton, and Justine Baltazar, the FiberXers have the tools to make a trip to the semifinals.
After all, Converge came close to reaching that stage last conference after pushing powerhouse San Miguel to the limit.
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However, a Ginebra team with Justin Brownlee is always a winning outfit and the Gin Kings can absolutely delay Converge's leap if these two teams match up.