Wednesday, December 20, 2006 Barakos, Gin Kings jockey for position
AFTER booting out defending champion Purefoods Chunkee Giants from the conference, the Red Bull Barakos will next take on the league-leading Barangay Ginebra Kings as both teams jockey for position for the semis of the Talk 'N Text PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum today.
Red Bull's victory over the Giants, the former's 11th in 17 games, brought the battle for the two outright semifinal berths simmering between themselves, the Kings and San Miguel Beer.
The Photokina Marketing franchise, however, has no full control of its fate. It has to beat Ginebra today and hope either the Kings and the Beermen lose on Christmas Day to forge a playoff.
Control
"We're trying to keep our semis hopes alive. It's no longer in our control. But whatever is in our control, we'll try to keep it," said Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao, after returning from a two-game suspension.
San Miguel is a game ahead at 12-5 and could clinch an automatic slot in the semis with a win over Air21 at the close of the classification phase on Christmas Day.
Leading the pack at 12-4, Ginebra needs just one win in its last two games to make it to the semis.
Outright berth
The Kings will actually advance to the semis outright and tow San Miguel Beer along with them with a win over the Barakos today.
If Red Bull wins over Ginebra and the Beermen and the Kings lose on Dec. 25, the Barakos, because of a more superior PBA quotient, will clinch the first outright semis berth, leaving SMB and Ginebra to battle it out for the second outright semis berth in a playoff on Jan. 3. (JSV)
