Twice-to-beat Ginebra battles Magnolia as PBA rivals figure in early playoff clash

MANILA, Philippines – Rivals Barangay Ginebra and Magnolia are on an early collision course in the PBA Philippine Cup playoffs.

The Gin Kings and the Hotshots normally go deep into the playoffs, but one has got to give as the sister teams found themselves facing each other in the quarterfinals following the result of their last elimination round games.

“If we could’ve avoided Magnolia, we certainly would’ve avoided them. But we could not,” said Ginebra head coach Tim Cone.

“We were hoping to face them later on in the tournament, not have to knock each other out this early. But you do not really have control over that.”

The Hotshots fell to No. 7 after their 98-93 loss to TNT on Sunday, May 5, got compounded by the Gin Kings’ 76-72 defeat to NLEX in the final game of the elimination round.

Despite falling prey to the Tropang Giga, Magnolia still remained in the running for the No. 6 spot as it counted on Ginebra to beat the Road Warriors.

But the Gin Kings – already assured of the second seed and a win-once bonus – recorded their lowest scoring output of the conference in a game where Christian Standhardinger and Scottie Thompson sat out a crucial stretch.

The Hotshots finished with the same 6-5 record as Meralco, TNT, Rain or Shine, and NLEX, although they settled for No. 7 due to an inferior quotient among the tied teams.

Armed with a twice-to-beat advantage, Ginebra aims to send Magnolia on an early vacation as it looks to reach the semifinals for the fourth straight conference.

The quarterfinals kick off on Friday, May 10. – Rappler.com