Actually, the Philippine Cup Final Four already started with Game One of the semis pairing of top seed Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters and no. 4 team B-MEG Derby Ace Llamados played out on Dec. 26. The Texters survived a tough challenge from the defending champs Llamados in the first game, 98-91, to take a 1-0 series lead.

The league currently is in a nine-day break to give way to the New Year celebrations and opens shop anew on January 5, a Wednesday.

Zeroing in on the semifinal duels, expect very engaging and competitive encounters.

TNT and B-MEG fought to a rousing start in their series-opening game and such could spill over into the succeeding matches.

Brimming with talent at every position, the Texters have been installed as favorites in this series. It has been a two-pronged attack for the team this season and now it has been made more "steely" with the return of an erstwhile indisposed key piece -- Ranidel De Ocampo. Key for the Texters is to remain focused and in synch in this series because as seen in Game One, they are up against a team that has a lot of pride and fight in it, and will not simply quit and roll over.

While still not at its full strength, Derby Ace is as dangerous as it gets. To come back from a deep hole to make a serious threat in the end game in Game One against Talk ‘N Text highlighted its capacity to be a handful even for a powerhouse team like the Texters. The game parenthetically though underscored the necessity for the Llamados to be on top of their game every time they take the floor versus TNT. Sure, they have the ability to come back in games but the Llamados should know better than leaving their fate on late-game rallies for against the Texters and in a demarcated setting, success rate of such is not so high.

Beermen vs. Kings

They may be sister ball clubs, but as many of their encounters in the past have shown, when they battle each other on the hardwood sibling rivalry is in full regalia; and this latest edition will be no different.

On the strength of their conference-long consistency, no. 2 team San Miguel goes into the semifinals as the favored crew. Height is one telling advantage for the beer makers over the gin kings that could influence the outcome of games in this matchup. San Miguel’s depth could also be a problem for Ginebra. The Beermen, however, should show no letup in its attack especially against a team that had it working hard in their previous meetings.

Number three squad Ginebra’s frontcourt may be in for some serious hard work against the Beermen but the good thing for the barangay is that their frontliners have been priming up well in the run-up to their encounter against San Miguel. Guys like Enrico Villanueva and Rudy Hatfield have been making their presence felt of late on both ends of the court which is a truly good sign. This, coupled with the heads-up play of the Ginebra’s blue-chip guard rotation and immense crowd support they surely would get, makes the Kings an all-too-weighty proposition for their foes.

Traditionally welcomed with fireworks and fanfare the New Year celebrations could well extend to a fortnight for PBA fans. This, thanks to the Philippine Cup semifinals which is a sure-fire fiery event. Happy New Year!

Michael Angelo MUrillo, Business World