NORTHPORT and Blackwater have both seen their dream starts in the 48th PBA Philippine Cup turn into a nightmare.
The determination to check their slides and fan their flickering hopes remain for the Batang Pier and Bossing, however, and one will get the humble reward following their collision Saturday at the Caloocan Sports Complex.
A win by NorthPort on the match winding up its 11-game elimination round assignments not only breaks it out of a five-game slump but also gives it a 5-6 slate that may be good enough to tie it for one of the last berths in the eight-team quarterfinals.
For its part, Blackwater also aims to snap out of its own five-game spiral, improve to a 4-5 record, and build up momentum going to its remaining elims outings against early quarterfinalist San Miguel Beer on Wednesday and Phoenix Super LPG next Saturday.
A loss may bear dire consequences for each squad, especially for a NorthPort side, which has no game left to hope for a rebound on.
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Such dire straits could have been avoided had either side been able to sustain their sterling starts to the season-ending tournament.
After coming up with just one win in the Commissioner's Cup, Blackwater raised some eyebrows by opening up the tourney with three straight victories, including ones over traditional powerhouses Meralco and TNT, to even take the lead.
Then the losses started piling up, including close ones against Terrafirma and, most recently, Magnolia.
For coach Jeff Cariaso, one key factor is for his Bossing to remember that all is not lost.
"We are doing our best not to let the frustration sink in as we believe we had very good chances to be in a better position than we are in now," said Cariaso in an interview.
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"The focus is to stay positive, patient, and continue to learn and grow."
The same is true of NorthPort, which fell from its second-running spot after going 1-5 in a tough three-week stretch following the All-Star and Holy Week breaks.(NC)
