CONVERGE and Rain or Shine put their winning streaks on the line as they tangle against each other in the curtain raiser of Wednesday’s
PBA Philippine Cup
that also features Barangay Ginebra going up against Northport in the main game.
A quick glance about the exciting twin bill below:
Rain or Shine versus Converge
When: Wednesday (April 30) 5:00 p.m.
Where: PhilSports Arena
This marks the first meeting between the two teams since the Elasto Painters eliminated the FiberXers in their
Commissioner’s Cup
best-of-three quarterfinals series that went the full route.
Converge coach Franco Atienza admitted the loss serves as a motivation for the team, while at the same time, seeing the Elasto Painters as a mirror likeness of the FiberXers since both lineups are young, quick, and athletic.
PHOTO: Sherwin Vardeleon
The FiberXers (3-2) will go into the game on a two-game winning streak, capped by a 100-94 victory over grand slam-seeking TNT Tropang 5G.
The Twin Towers of Justin Arana and Justin Baltazar are expected to be a major concern for a Rain or Shine side that has considerably shrunk in the frontcourt following injuries to big men Beau Belga, Keith Datu, and lately Caelan Tiongson.
Despite a relatively small lineup, the Elasto Painters managed to thrive by going small ball behind Adrian Nocum, Andre Caracut, Jhonard Clarito, Felix Pangilinan-Lemetti, Gian Mamuyac and undersized center Leonard Santillan.
Taking advantage of the team’s strength, coach Yeng Guiao opted for a fast-paced game and mowed down its last two opponents by averaging 120.5 points per outing.
Still, Guiao is hopeful to get back at least one of its bigs in order to at least have a match-up against either Arana or Baltazar, who are averaging 39 points and 22 rebounds combined in the last two games of Converge.
Like Converge, Rain or Shine is also on a two-game winning run, meaning one team will see its win streak come to an end tonight.
Barangay Ginebra vs. Northport
When: April 30 (Wednesday) 7:30 p.m.
Where: PhilSports Arena
The two teams tangled in the semifinals of the Commissioner’s Cup, which the Kings dominated, 4-1, to advance into the finals.
Will the Kings continue their dominance of the Batang Pier?
What’s certain is coach Tim Cone raring to see his team bounce back following what he referred to as an embarrassing loss to the San Miguel Beermen in its previous outing, 104-93.
Ginebra had a flat start against San Miguel, shooting a horrendous 2-of-20 from the perimeter in the first half, allowing the Beermen to jump to a 22-6 lead and never look back.
The Kings have an even 1-1 record after cruising past Terrafirma Dyip, 101-80, in their debut game.
The match will also be the first for Ginebra since deciding to relegate veteran guard and team captain LA Tenorio to the Unrestricted Free Agency With Rights to Salary (UFAWR2S).
The move made way for the reactivation of wingman Jayson David.
The Batang Pier are coming off back-to-back losses as they try to fill in the void left by do-it-all import Kadeem Jack, who carried them to only the franchise’s third semifinals appearance.
Making matter worse is the hip injury that has been bothering main man Arvin Tolentino, who missed Northport’s 113-96 loss against Rain or Shine and struggled with his shooting in a 120-98 blowout against Blackwater.