Fastbreak: Cagayan nears Cinderella finish

Cagayan Valley Rising Suns (80) – (68) Blackwater Sports 

Best: Eliud Poligrates finally broke out… in an air-conditioned venue. The former Southwestern University standout finished with 17 points, six boards and four assists as Cagayan Valley ousted Blackwater and booked their first finals seat in history.  

Worst: The absence of ace guard Jeric Fortuna when it mattered. Although Kevin Ferrer was his usual self in the sudden death match, the contributions of Robby Celiz, Pari Llagas and Allan Mangahas were not enough to help Blackwater’s cause. 

Cinderella story: From the bottom to the top. The Rising Suns lived up to their name and rose like no any other team did in barging into the Last Dance. Whether the story would be completed with a massive upset over NLEX remains to be seen, but what Cagayan Valley has achieved will remain as one of the biggest turnaround in league annals.

NLEX Road Warriors (87) – (85) Air21 – JRU Heavy Bombers 

Best: Kevin Alas played the best game of his D-League career when it mattered most, firing 12 of his 19 points in the third quarter as the Road Warriors needed a huge defensive stop at the buzzer to turn the Heavy Bombers back.

Worst: Those two crucial turnovers by JRU in the last minute that gave NLEX a bigger opening and opportunity to bag the win. 

Stirred but not shaken: Although JRU gave NLEX probably their biggest scare ever since the birth of the league, the Road Warriors still believed that they have the edge when it comes to closing out close games like their Game 3 encounter. JRU’s defense will forever haunt them but on the bright side, even if it was that close, NLEX still managed to salvage their diminishing dream of defending their title. – Rappler.com