With one week remaining before the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup enters the quarterfinal stage, San Miguel Beermen remain the team to beat.
A slump in form for Barangay Ginebra has however denied them a twice-to-beat incentive, while three spots are still up for grabs.
Here, Eros Villanueva and Sid Ventura assess all 12 teams ahead of the final week of the elimination round.
1. San Miguel Beermen
First 5 weeks: 8-1
Week 6: 1-1
Total: 9-2
Previous rank: 1st
Up next: None
A narrow loss to Meralco Bolts hardly does anything to budge San Miguel's status up top, as it remains the most formidable team with the best offense (109.6 offensive rating) and the best player in the league today in June Mar Fajardo. One concern: Will Fajardo's health hold up in the grind of the playoffs? He has played 39.2 minutes through 11 games -- second among all players -- which may seem a bit too much for someone with a history of lower leg injuries. Here's to hoping "The Kraken" stays healthy, because he has been a marvel to watch; right now, he's averaging 18.6 points (third) on a 65.9 True Shooting Percentage or TS% (third) along with a league-high 13.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.6 blocks (fourth) and 1.0 steals. When he's on, there's no one and nothing stopping him. -- Villanueva
2. TNT Tropang Giga
First 5 weeks: 8-3
Week 6: 0-0
Total: 8-3
Previous rank: 3rd
Up next: None
The defending champions wrapped up their elimination round campaign in Week 5 and have since formally clinched the No. 2 seed and the twice-to-beat incentive that goes with it after Barangay Ginebra lost to Meralco. Despite their inactivity, they move up a notch since they're now officially the second-best team of the elimination round. The Tropang Giga could use the extended break to nurse some injuries -- Ryan Reyes and Glenn Khobuntin were slowed down in recent weeks -- although there's no rest for coach Chot Reyes and center Poy Erram, who are currently in Jakarta with Gilas Pilipinas for the FIBA Asia Cup. -- Ventura
3. Magnolia Hotshots
First 5 weeks: 5-3
Week 6: 1-0
Total: 6-3
Previous rank: 5th
Up next: Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, Blackwater Bossing
The Hotshots are now riding the momentum of the league's longest existing win streak at five, which is a welcome development following a slow start that saw them falter in three of their first four contests. The defense is back to elite levels; no team is allowing less points per possession than Magnolia, which banners a defensive rating (91.6) almost five points better than the second-best team, per RealGM. The offense is on its way up, and although it remains a concern, a healthy and in rhythm Paul Lee should keep them from sinking. Lee dropped an efficient 21 points in just 28 minutes vs. Meralco last week, and he's currently averaging 13.5 markers while shooting 50 percent from deep on 6.5 attempts -- figures that are nothing to scoff at, even though he's only played four games. A couple of must-win games to avoid a twice-to-win disadvantage loom this week, and it should be a good test to see if he's fit to play in higher stakes later on in this conference. -- Villanueva
4. Barangay Ginebra
First 5 weeks: 6-2
Week 6: 1-1
Total: 7-3
Previous rank: 2nd
Up next: Phoenix Super LPG
The Kings kicked off the week with a second straight double-digit loss, this time to the Bolts, which ended their hopes of clinching one of the two twice-to-beat incentives in the quarterfinals. They bounced back with a win over the NorthPort Batang Pier last Sunday in Tim Cone's return to the bench after his guest stint with the Miami Heat in the NBA Summer League. Ginebra needs to beat Phoenix in its final assignment to formally wrap up the third seed and avoid a potential semifinal clash against the Beermen. Reigning MVP Scottie Thompson continues to put up standout numbers with averages of 14.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.1 steals per contest. --Ventura
5. Meralco Bolts
First 5 weeks: 4-3
Week 6: 2-1
Total: 6-4
Previous rank: 7th
Up next: Terrafirma Dyip
What a week from the Bolts, who passed a tough slate with flying colors. First they blew out Ginebra by 17 to start off the week, then they scored a three-point win over a hot San Miguel squad to rebound from a tough overtime loss to Magnolia that saw Meralco lose steam in the end. They are in good position to stay within the best-of-three series bracket with only a winless Terrafirma remaining on its slate, but they will need a little bit of luck along the way, too, in order to secure their fate. As it stands, the Bolts need to win vs. Terrafirma or hope Blackwater (5-4) and NLEX Road Warriors (5-5) lose their remaining assignments; a loss to the Dyip and the two teams sweeping their final assignments would be devastating and will see Meralco slide to a twice-to-win disadvantage heading into the quarterfinals. -- Villanueva
6. Rain or Shine Elasto Painters
First 5 weeks: 2-5
Week 6: 2-0
Total: 4-6
Previous rank: 9th
Up next: Magnolia Hotshots
The Elasto Painters continued their run in Week 6, going 2-0 to push their winning streak to three and land firmly in the mix for a playoff spot. They've won their last three by an average of 14 points and have scored 100 points per game during that stretch, and they'll need to continue their good offense against their last elimination round opponent. The Hotshots are on a run of their own, having won five straight, and they boast of the stingiest defense in the conference, holding their opponents to just 81.8 points per game. Chris Gavina appears to have found the right backcourt mix in veteran Rey Nambatac and rookie Gian Mamuyac, who have been averaging 15.0 and 14.3 points per game respectively during this three-game winning streak. -- Ventura
7. NLEX Road Warriors
First 5 weeks: 4-5
Week 6: 1-0
Total: 5-5
Previous rank: 8th
Up next: NorthPort Batang Pier
A rough three-game slide put NLEX in a tough position to make a deeper playoff run, but a massive blowout in which they held a previously-sturdy Blackwater to just two first-quarter points was a good way to get back on track, to say the least. The Road Warriors can still avoid a twice-to-win disadvantage if they beat NorthPort in their final assignment and Blackwater loses just one of two games, but that's not going to be a walk in the park as the hungry Batang Pier, their next matchup, continue their hunt for the No. 8 seed. It's a good thing coach Yeng Guiao can continue to lean on Calvin Oftana, Don Trollano, and Kevin Alas; the trio have all been averaging over 16.0 points a game on above average efficiency and in differing shot diets, giving NLEX (102.1 offensive rating, third) a lot of variety on that end of the floor. -- Villanueva
8. Blackwater Bossing
First 5 weeks: 5-2
Week 6: 0-2
Total: 5-4
Previous rank: 4th
Up next: Converge FiberXers, Magnolia Hotshots
Is the bloom off the rose for the Bossing? After racing to a 5-1 record, Blackwater has now lost three straight, including two blowouts in Week 6. The 30-point loss to NLEX was particularly embarrassing as the Bossing scored just 2 points in the first quarter and prompted to Ariel Vanguardia to remark afterwards that he just didn't have the answers for his team's horrible play. Blackwater needs at least one win in Week 7 to clinch a quarterfinal berth, although two would be better in avoiding a twice-to-beat disadvantage. To do that the Bossing need to find their offensive groove again; in their two Week 6 losses, they shot just .363 and turned the ball over 37 times. -- Ventura
9. Phoenix Super LPG
First 5 weeks: 2-6
Week 6: 1-1
Total: 3-7
Previous rank: 10th
Up next: None
Matthew Wright might have just played his final game for the Phoenix franchise. And as much as the Fuel Masters will insist that the show will go on following his departure, it's just hard to find any silver linings here. Wright was not efficient at all in his final tour of duty (15.0 points on 34.2 percent shooting, 5.9 assists against 4.3 turnovers), but he was the preeminent playmaking/scoring threat that probed defenses, hunted weaknesses, and created something out of nothing for a squad that currently has no player in the backcourt that's as dynamic as the Fil-Canadian guard. It may be a good time for Jason Perkins to finally shed the 'underrated' tag and prove that he's always been a clear-cut PBA star. Right now, he's averaging 15.9 points on 51.8 TS% along with 8.0 boards and 2.8 dimes. He's not as hyper-efficient as he was in previous conferences, but once he gets back there, watch out and be ready to give him his flowers. -- Villanueva
10. Converge FiberXers
First 5 weeks: 4-5
Week 5: 0-1
Total: 4-6
Previous rank: 10th
Up next: Blackwater Bossing
After a productive Week 5, the FiberXers took a step back in Week 6 with an ugly 89-66 loss to the Fuel Masters where they scored a season-low 20 points in the first half. They now need to win their final assignment against Blackwater on Wednesday to avoid further complications in the race for a quarterfinal slot. Converge's offense is still an issue as leading scorer Jeron Teng is still sidelined by a hip injury and the team is shooting a league-worst .274 on three-point attempts, plus their TS% of .471 is 11th overall and only slightly better than Terrafirma's .470, per RealGM. After Teng, no other FiberXer is averaging double digits in scoring. -- Ventura
11. NorthPort Batang Pier
First 5 weeks: 2-6
Week 5: 1-1
Total: 3-7
Previous rank: 11th
Up next: NLEX Road Warriors
There remains a slim chance that NorthPort will make the playoffs, but it will need a ton of luck in the form of other teams losing just to make it to the quarterfinals in a hyper-complicated scenario. Naturally, the focus is on what the Batang Pier can control, starting with defense. Coach Pido Jarencio's squad carries a top-three offense, but that figure is negated because they continue to allow more points per 100 possessions than every team but Terrafirma. Their best bet is going toe-to-toe vs. NLEX in a battle between two of the best scoring units in the league today, but the Batang Pier can kiss their playoff dreams goodbye if the defense remains shoddy in that must-win game. -- Villanueva
12.Terrafirma Dyip
First 5 weeks: 0-8
Week 5: 0-2
Total: 0-10
Previous rank: 12th
Up next: Meralco Bolts
The Dyip's 2022 Philippine Cup campaign will mercifully come to an end on July 21. They came close to finally nailing that breakthrough win, but lost by one point in overtime to the Beermen. Two days later, Terrafirma was dealt a 10th straight loss by the surging Elasto Painters. They'll have one last chance to notch a W against the Bolts, who are thinking of their own quarterfinal seeding and certainly won't make things easier. The Dyip simply don't have enough sources of offense. They're dead last in points per game (86.1) and field goal percentage (.378), and their leading scorer, Juami Tiongson, has the lowest point average of all team scoring leaders (13.4). -- Ventura