THE BALANCE of power in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) has tilted — at least for now.
But instead of just one or two teams, the command has spread to almost every team with now a surprising equilibrium among the 12 houses midway through the Philippine Cup with the fall of perennial forces and rise of promising ones. “I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, all of the teams have upgraded,” said Chot Reyes, whose mighty TNT Tropang Giga now just lurks in the middle pack with a 3-3 slate.
“For TNT, we’re no longer the mighty TNT. The sooner we accept that fact, the better it is going to be for us. We cannot win games on talent alone. We have to outwork and outhustle every team we play,” he said after bowing to Blackwater and NorthPort before beating Meralco, 92-90.
As expected, reigning champion San Miguel sits on top of the echelon with a perfect 4-0 slate but the teams chasing behind are suddenly the unheralded ones.
Blazing NLEX (5-1) and NorthPort (4-1), with its franchise-best longest streak in the Philippine Cup at four wins, lurk at second and third while the usual lottery squad Terrafirma, on the heels of a 91-85 win over superpower Ginebra, is at No. 4 with a 4-3 slate.
That’s only the second win of Terrafirma over Ginebra in 23 meetings since PBA entry in 2014 to already equal its most number of wins under coach Johnedel Cardel while previous cellar-dweller Blackwater (3-3) that rode on a historic 3-0 start before losing three straight is at No. 5.
Trailing behind are regular contenders TNT (3-3), Ginebra (3-3), Meralco (3-4) and Rain or Shine (3-4) as Commissioner’s Cup finalist Magnolia (1-2) and semifinalist Phoenix (1-4) plunged to the bottom with winless Converge (0-6).
It’s a free-for-all jungle and no team is already a pushover. All teams want the smoke and are out for blood, according to Rain or Shine mentor Yeng Guiao amidst their three-game winning streak in a similar run like last year from a 0-5 start.
And the journey is about to get tougher from here on. — John Bryan Ulanday