MANILA - The contenders for the title are down to four as defending champion Sta. Lucia faces no. 1 seed Alaska, while no. 2 seed Talk 'N Text collide with San Miguel in game one today of the best-of-seven semifinal series at the Araneta Coliseum.
Alaska reached the semis by topping the double round robin elimination with a 12-6 slate. Talk 'N Text finished with the second highest card, 11-7, to claim the second outright semis berth.
The Realtors, on the other hand, swept Rain or Shine, 2-0, Friday while the Beermen ousted sister team Barangay Ginebra, 2-1, Sunday in the best-of-three quarterfinal round.
Sta. Lucia will battle Alaska at 5 p.m. while the Tropang Texters meet the Beermen at 7:30 p.m.
Among the four, Alaska has the longest preparation since its last game against Purefoods was on Dec. 21 while the Tropang Texters last saw action against Air 21 on Christmas day.
Alaska coach Tim Cone, however, said the long rest gave them enough opportunity to hone their skills. It also made the Aces much more hungry for the title.
“We have a long preparation and this gave the team more time to polish our plans. But these are all strategies. The whole team is very eager now to play in the semis,” said Cone.
It's almost even between the Aces and the Realtors as both split their two meetings in the elimination with Cone's team winning the first, 95-89, on Nov. 7. (FCC)
