Christmas Day Preview and Prediction: MAH-BWE, STAR-BGSM

(c) PBA Media Bureau

The most anticipated game of the elimination round will finally happen this Christmas Day. Before that, Mahindra will try to get their first W against the Elite who are looking to grab the solo #2 spot.

MAH-BWE

Blackwater broke the puzzle of the Globalport Batang Pier with their crispy offense. On the other hand, Ginebra pounced on the Enforcers. Will Blackwater have an easy night against the Enforcers or will Mahindra finally do the unthinkable and win a game?

Prediction
According the Strengths and Weaknesses scores, Mahindra only have a single advantage and that is inside scoring. According to the statistics, Mahindra rebounds more ball per game. Even with those positives, Mahindra will not be able to overcome all the disadvantages that they have.

Wednesday Preview and Prediction: BWE-GBP, PHX-MER

(c) PBA Media Bureau

I am disappointed with my current performance so I went a little deeper with my choices for the games this Wednesday.

BWE-GBP

Globalport wants to continue his rampage this season with a game against the young but very dangerous Blackwater. Globalport is still the hardest puzzle to solve in the league but if the young core of the Elite will continue to mature, they will have a good chance here.

Weekend Preview and Prediction: SMB-NLEX, STAR-ROS, BGSM-ALA

(c) PBA Media Bureau

This weekend, San Miguel will try to finally unleash their best form against the struggling Road Warriors. James Yap and Star will finally meet in the court and Ginebra will test the winning streak of the Aces.

SMB-NLEX

That close win against Mahindra was truly embarrassing. The Beermen hopefuls better hope that, that game ignited some pride and focus from the players. NLEX continue to struggle under coach Yeng. They currently average the most turnovers per game.

Prediction
We can say that these two squads are struggling which makes it hard to decide. Coach Yeng can ignite the fire under his players and push them over San Miguel. I don't think NLEX can fix their turnover woes and that will be enough for the Beermen, that has a 3.5 score in Steals and Blocks.

Friday Preview and Prediction: PHX-TNT, BGSM-MAH

(c) PBA Media Bureau

Phoenix and TNT will break their tie this Friday, as Mahindra tries to do the unthinkable against Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel.

PHX-TNT

Jayson Castro came from the bench in his first two games this season but he was still the Blur with his 21.5 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists production. It will be interesting to see him battle a very hot Simon Enciso who averages 17.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 43.5% 3FG.

Wednesday Preview and Prediction: NLEX vs Blackwater, Alaska vs Meralco

(c) PBA Media Bureau

NLEX and Blackwater will try to get back on track at the expense of the other. While Meralco and Alaska try to continue their winning ways.

NLEX-BWE

Blackwater gave a good fight to two perennial contenders, Rain or Shine and TNT, but failed to grab the Ws. On the other hand, NLEX also suffered back-to-back defeats. It will be interesting to see the adjustments that these two squads made for this game.

Weekends Preview and Prediction: STAR-PHX, SMB-MAH, BGSM-GBP

(c) PBA Media Bureau

Phoenix will try to make it a three wins streak at the expense of Star this Saturday. On Sunday, San Miguel will try to continue the agony of the Enforcers as Batang Pier also try to get their third W against Ginebra.

PHX-STAR

Star was fantastic in drubbing NLEX last Wednesday. Paul Lee finally appeared like a real star with his 20 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists. On the other hand, JC Intal flourished in his off-the-bench role with current statline of 19.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.

Friday Predictions: BWE-ROS, MER-TNT

(c) PBA Media Bureau

Here is a quick prediction for the games this afternoon.

BWE-ROS
These two squads are very similar when I compared them using their strengths and weaknesses numbers. Using the counting stats, Rain or Shine has a huge advantage that will lead them to the victory. They defend the three-pointers pretty well, 15% efficiency. With Blackwater relying with their outside scheme too, I will go with Rain or Shine.

MER-TNT
Just like the game above, Meralco and TNT have a lot of similarities in their strengths and weaknesses numbers. One glaring difference is in the steals and blocks. TNT was not that good in defending the long bombs in their first three games but Meralco doesn't attempt that much.

So, the better choice here is TNT. We also need to consider that Jayson Castro is still getting back into his blurring rhythm.