PBA: SMB hopes to clinch a quarterfinals spot depends on other teams
A day after suffering a setback and nightmarish 97-115 loss to TNT Tropang Giga that pushed San Miguel Beermen to their seventh loss in 12 matches.
The SMB is now on the verge of elimination in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup last Sunday, January 26 at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Now their wait has just begun for them, and the elimination round assignment is over and done, the defending PBA Commissioner's Cup champion will now watch and see with keen interest the last two playing dates from the sidelines and see how things turn out for their campaign.
With that, the Beermen have to pray and hope that NLEX and Magnolia drop their remaining games against Hong Kong Eastern on Wednesday and Meralco on Friday, respectively, to catch the last trip headed for the quarterfinals.
After all, both the Road Warriors and the Hotshots sit at the eighth spot with identical 5-6 win-loss records.
A loss by both teams will give the Beermen a chance to contend for the No. 8 spot against the Road Warriors.
"We're going to see what happens. There's a chance, but it might be slim. But still, there's a chance. We'll see how those results play," said veteran gunner Marcio Lassiter. "
The Beermen’s campaign in the midseason of this tournament had been very shaky.
According to Lasiter, there's definitely a lesson learned in this shaky and struggling campaign of their team.
"It's been an up and down conference. But you know, we can't dwell on it too long. We still have to figure out in the hunt for the last spot and see how the games go along," he added.
Meanwhile, the last time that San Miguel failed to advance in the playoffs came in the 2015 Commissioner's Cup.
Prior to the start of the season, they figured in a blockbuster trade, sending veterans Terrence Romeo and Vic Manuel to Terrafirma in exchange for Juami Tiongson and Andreas Cahilig.
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