Will Converge finally make it?

Since Converge acquired the Alaska franchise to join the PBA in 2022, the FiberXers never qualified for the semifinals in eight conferences. They made it to six quarterfinals but couldn’t break the barrier, losing to San Miguel Beer thrice and TNT,

Rain or Shine and Barangay Ginebra once.

Now, Converge is on the verge of a breakthrough and one win away from punching a ticket to the Philippine Cup Final Four. Coach Delta Pineda’s squad entered the quarters with a twice-to-beat advantage over Ginebra. It was the other way around in the previous Philippine Cup where Ginebra leaned on a twice-to-beat cushion and took only a game to eliminate Converge, 88-80. Pineda wasn’t at the helm then and Juan Gomez de Liaño, Vic Manuel and Archie Concepcion weren’t on the roster. Now, Pineda’s calling the shots and Mr. Do-It-All, the Muscleman and Concepcion are in harness.

Converge blew its first chance to oust Ginebra last Thursday, suffering a 105-85 shellacking. The FiberXers get a second chance but this time, it’s a win-or-go-home situation for both teams. Ginebra is raring to extend its win streak to seven. Coach Tim Cone’s last championship with the Barangay was in the 2022-23 Commissioner’s Cup when it beat Bay Area, 4-3, in the Finals. The title drought is now up to six conferences with three losing Finals appearances.

Ginebra hasn’t tweaked its lineup as much as Converge although Jamie Malonzo, LA Tenorio, Von Pessumal, Aljon Mariano and Maverick Ahanmisi are no longer around. Cone’s core of Scottie Thompson, Japeth Aguilar, Troy Rosario, Stephen Holt and RJ Abarrientos is still doing a lot of heavy lifting. In last Thursday’s game, four Ginebra players logged at least 30 minutes compared to only one for Converge. Depth isn’t as much a concern for Cone in a short series like this duel with Converge as in a best-of-seven battle.

Today, either Converge or Ginebra will bow out as they fight to survive. The winner moves on to play San Miguel in the best-of-seven semifinals. The Beermen, toting a twice-to-beat edge, didn’t need another game to bring down NLEX, 101-94, in a quarterfinal pairing last Thursday.

Abarrientos was almost unstoppable in leading Ginebra to victory last Thursday, scoring 35 points while JDGL could only fire nine. Thompson delivered a triple double, his first this conference with Aguilar, Holt and Rosario scoring in twin digits. Ginebra’s chemistry was in full display, racking up 25 assists, six more than Converge. Ginebra was dominant in nearly all departments with 14 more bench points, 19 more perimeter points, 12 more free throws made, nine more second chance points, nine more turnover points and six more three-point conversions.

But the key was Ginebra’s defense which limited Converge to 85 points and 40 percent shooting from the field. In the elims, Converge ranked No. 2 in offense, averaging 106.3 points and No. 1 in field goal percentage at .461. Unless Converge finds a way to crack Ginebra’s defense and bring back its vaunted firepower, it’ll be another quarterfinal exit for the FiberXers who are determined to avoid a meltdown.

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