January fireworks in PBA wars

When the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup resumes in January, expect slam-bang battles to usher in 2010.

That’s because teams have probably made winning more games their immediate New Year’s resolutions. They have to, if they want an advantage at the top of the standings, prime positions in the middle or even survival at the bottom.

The tournament uses a double round of classification games, with each team playing eighteen matches. We still really haven’t gotten the hang of calling the early part of a tournament “classification” and still use “elims” quite liberally. It’s applicable to an extent since the team at the tail end of the first phase doesn’t move on to the next round.

Five teams are vying for the top two slots in the remaining schedule in January. These two spots mean an automatic ride to the semifinals, a chance to rest while the other teams go through wild card and quarterfinal games.

San Miguel at 12-3 has probably the most outstanding chance to claim the first ticket. It has three games left with a battle against Talk ‘N Text as its toughest game remaining. The return of Danny Seigle, Lordy Tugade and Jay Washington to an already potent line-up has boosted the Beermen’s chances even more.

Alaska (11-2) has five remaining games with matches against Ginebra, Sta. Lucia and Purefoods as the tough ones ahead. What the Aces must avoid are more losses to teams in the middle and bottom of the standings. Their schedule includes a battle against Burger King and a rematch against Rain or Shine, the first team to defeat the Aces, who won their first six games in the tournament.

The chances of the next four teams to snatch the top two slots depend on a lot of factors. They have to minimize losses in the remaining games and hope that San Miguel and Alaska run into some snags. If the Beermen and Aces hang tough, the four will be left battling for the three automatic quarterfinal slots with the fourth lowest team relegated to the wild card round.

For Talk ‘N Text (10-5), the Jan. 6 game against Ginebra could be a barometer as to how far Chot Reyes’ crew will go. There’s also a key game against San Miguel in its remaining three battles.

Barangay Ginebra and the Purefoods TJ Giants are even at 9-6 and need to make some moves in January to stay close to the top and away from the pursuers at the bottom.

Sta. Lucia at 7-6 will try to avoid falling into the wild card round. It may be off the pace of the leaders but who knows what will happen in their remaining five matches? The Realtors’ toughest games could be the ones against Alaska and Purefoods.

Burger King (5-10) needs to score wins in January to avoid complications at the bottom, in case of any late surges by the tailenders. The Whoppers’ toughest foes in the final stretch are Sta. Lucia, Ginebra and Alaska. Rain or Shine (4-10) has the Realtors, TJ Giants and Aces left in its schedule.

Attention will also be shared by those avoiding exclusion from the next phase. Coca-Cola (3-12) has the Beermen, Elasto Painters and Energy Boosters left while Barako Bull (2-12) has four more chances stay out of last place and avoid the boot.

Games January 6 (Araneta Coliseum)
3 p.m. — Smart-Gilas vs Purefoods
5 p.m. — Sta. Lucia vs Rain or Shine
7:30 p.m. — Talk ’N Text vs Ginebra