Victories by three teams leave Petron on the bubble

Suddenly, the future again looks dim for Petron Blaze.
The Boosters, idle the last two playdates, are suddenly on the bubble in the PBA Philippine Cup playoffs with three teams that they are chasing for a place in the middle of the standings churning out convincing victories.
Barangay Ginebra posted the most lopsided win in the last two days after ripping Air21 to shreds, 99-76, a victory which was sandwiched by Meralco’s 85-73 decision of Barako Bull Friday and Alaska’s 101-95 conquest of Globalport yesterday.
All three squads now have seven victories to show, with the Gin Kings still with two games left to play and the Bolts and the Aces one each, leaving Petron with no choice but to win its last game and hope that either Meralco or Alaska drop its last.
For if all three teams manage a win each, that would leave Petron in seventh spot come the playoffs next week, and the Boosters would have a huge task of beating the No. 2 team two straight times in order to advance to the semifinals.
Ginebra extended its winning streak to five games and is now at 7-5, just a full game behind the Elasto Painters, while Meralco and Alaska both carry 7-6 slates, a full game ahead of Petron.
And that No. 2 team could either be Rain or Shine or San Mig Coffee, two powerhouses that will clash tonight with the winner getting an inside track on the second twice-to-beat advantage.
Defending champion Talk ‘N Text is already assured of No. 1 seeding after tripping the Boosters, 95-82 last Wednesday and the Tropang Texters will go up against either Barako Bull or Air21.
The Energy will be fighting for dear life against the Gin Kings on Sunday, with a win by Ginebra formally shoving the crowd-darlings into a best-of-three series for a place in the Final Four.
Tournament format calls for the Nos. 3-6 squads to fall into a race-to-two series, with No. 3 clashing with No. 6 and Nos. 4 and 5 tangling.
That setup is certainly much better than the twice-to-win disadvantage team Nos. 7 and 8 will have against the top seeds.
Ginebra posted leads of as many as 33 points right in the first half against the listless Express, and the Kings never let up the rest of the way as they posted a 34-point lead going into the fourth period.
Air21 was never really able to make a dent on that deficit even with Mark Caguioa, Ginebra’s top gun and spiritual leader, playing minimal minutes and scoring just eight points.
Meralco, meanwhile, was very good on both ends and was in control the entire game against the Energy, who have remained winless in three games with new coach Bong Ramos.
At 3-9, the Energy have lost their last four games and seventh of their last eight.
Globalport formally got the boot after losing a seventh straight game, and rumors are spreading that a coaching change is in the offing, especially with Junel Baculi getting fired by Barako Bull two weeks ago.