HAPEE and Cagayan Valley try to avoid complications in their bid for better positions, as they make a final playoff push against separate opponents on Monday in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) D-League Foundation Cup at The Arena in San Juan.
The Fresh Fighters have won their last two and they hope to finish the elimination round on a winning note against the free-falling MP Hotel Warriors at 1 p.m.
The Rising Suns also look to close out the eliminations with a second straight win against league-leader Cebuana Lhuillier at 3 p.m., but they will be without Coach Alvin Pua.
Hapee and Cagayan Valley—two teams which advanced to the finals of the Aspirants’ Cup eventually won by the Fresh Fighters—are tied at third and fourth spots with a 5-3 (win-loss) record and hope to preserve their spot at the end of the eliminations. An unlikely loss, though, could drag them into some complications and hurt their bids for a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
The Fresh Fighters stayed on track for a top-4 finish with a 71-70 decision against Cebuana last week that snapped the Gems’ seven-game winning streak.
“For us that game is about survival and we won it with our fighting heart. The guys really showed their character against the best in the league right now,” Hapee Coach Ronnie Magsanoc said.
Although MP Hotel (1-6) is already out of the running and reeling from four straight defeats, Magsanoc remains cautious saying the Warriors can’t be taken for granted.
“They are determined to win just as much as we do so we have to stay focused,” Magsanoc added.
The Rising Suns, on the other hand, are coming off a 106-94 bounce-back victory against Liver Marin to stay at third place.
Incidentally, that game was marred by a mauling incident involving their coach, who assaulted a game official before halftime.
That drew a lifetime ban on all PBA sanctioned tournaments and a fine of P500,000 for Pua, who could also be sanctioned by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas should the SBP imposed the decision by PBA Commissioner Chito Salud.
Besides Pua, Salud also slapped a P20,000 fine on Rising Suns team Manager Frederick Collado for his public criticism against the league to justify Pua’s behavior.