THE PBA Commissioner's Cup quarterfinals do not kick off until next week, but San Miguel Beer coach Leo Austria has already instilled a playoffs mindset for his charges.
"Ang treatment namin sa laro bukas parang start na ng best-of-three," said Austria on the eve of his Beermen's match against resurgent GlobalPort Friday, the final day of the mid-season tourney's eliminations at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
"Kapag nanalo kami kailangan namin isang panalo na lang to get into the semifinals," added Austria. "Kung matatalo kami, kailangan pa rin naming manalo ng two games to get in to the semifinals.
"So, 'Let us start our quarterfinals tomorrow.' Iyun ang sinasabi ko sa kanila. Hindi na kailangang matalo ng isa pa para to have a series."
Indeed, the stakes are simple enough.
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A win by SMB would secure it a top two finish and a twice-to-beat advantage in the next round. A loss would relegate the Beermen to No. 4 and a win-twice duel with fifth-ranked Meralco.
It's a matter of SMB choosing the lesser evil, according to Austria. "Alaska, GlobalPort or Phoenix 'di p'wedeng biruin iyon," he said.
"Iyun namang mga nasa middle mabibigat din mga kalaban doon," added Austria. "At least, kapag nandoon ka sa top two manalo ka ng isa tapos na. Kung nasa best-of-three pag nanalo ka ng isa kailangan masundan mo pa iyon. Iyon ang mahirap dahil makaka-regroup pa iyung kalaban mo."
The worse scenario of a loss by SMB should not be overlooked since GlobalPort is currently on a two-game roll and needs a win to clinch No. 6.
A loss would drop the Batang Pier into a tie for eighth with Phoenix, Alaska and Mahindra, should the Floodbuster prevail over Barangay Ginebra later Friday.
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The top two teams following an initial tiebreaker via the PBA quotient would then play off on Sunday for the last quarterfinals slot.
"We need to beat San Miguel Beer to avoid a knockout match for the last spot," said GlobalPort coach Franz Pumaren.
What should give Austria additional hope is the fact his team is coming off a 124-113 come-from-behind win over Blackwater just last Wednesday, when the Beermen fought back from a 16-point halftime deficit.
"May tendency talaga ang team na i-underestimate ang kalaban kapag alam na struggling," noted Austria. "Pero kapag importante ang laro ang mga ito talagang pukpok na pukpok."
