Converge, ROS clash in battle of streaking teams

MANILA, Philippines — Converge and Rain or Shine face off in a titanic game between streaking teams, while title favorite Barangay Ginebra eyes a bounce-back win against NorthPort as action in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup resumes on Wednesday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.

The FiberXers (3-2) and the Elasto Painters (2-1) collide at 5 p.m., in their first meeting since the ROS quintet prevailed, 2-1 in their Commissioner's Cup quarterfinal series last February.

The Gin Kings (1-1), on the other hand, take on the skidding Batang Pier (1-2) in the main game at 7:30 p.m.

Mentored by coach Franco Atienza, Converge wasted a 1-0 lead in its best-of-three quarterfinal series after allowing Rain or Shine to win the next two games to advance to the Final Four.

ROS coach Yeng Guiao however, is well aware that his team enters the game, again at a disadvantage, given that his front court remains thin.

Veteran Beau Belga (vertigo) and sophomore big man Keith Datu (calf) missed the team's first three games, while Caelan Tiongson was a late scratch in ROS' 128-116 win against defending champion Meralco last Sunday due to back spasm.

The Elasto Painters managed to use their speed in their two-game winning streak, though Guiao knows the FiberXers are no pushovers.

"It's hard to beat Converge if you don't have a big man because we know their threats lie on their twin towers," Guiao said in Filipino, referring to the FiberXers' young and athletic front court tandem of Justin Arana and rookie Justine Baltazar.

Arana, the former PBA Rookie of the Year is averaging solid double-double output of 17.6 points and 10.4 rebounds, while the 6-foot-7 Baltazar churns out per-game averages of 14.2 points and 12.2 rebounds.

Guiao knows the two Converge big men alone will already be a handful for them.

"If you don't have any matchup on that (Converge's Twin Towers), they'll just keep punishing you close to the basket or at low post," he said.

The ROS mentor said they will just have to formulate a defensive game plan that could hopefully slow down Converge's big men, while trying to again utilize the Elasto Painters' running game.

Meanwhile, Ginebra will try to get back on the winning track against a NorthPort side that the Gin Kings manhandled, 4-1 in the Commissioner's Cup semifinal series.

The Gin Kings enter the game with a 1-1 record, coming off a 104-93 defeat at the hands of powerhouse San Miguel Beermen last week.

NorthPort has also lost its last two games by an average of 19.5 points to Rain or Shine and Blackwater, respectively. The Batang Pier's lone win came at the expense of the Terrafirma Dyip, 97-75.