End of the line?

Both PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series could end at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight with TNT and San Miguel Beer a win away from barging into the finals.

- By Joaquin M. Henson

If they close out, the finals will begin on Wednesday, but if one or both series require a Game 7, the decider will be on Wednesday with the finals reeling off on Sunday.

Rain or Shine stayed alive to extend TNT to a Game 6 but will need to win two more for a ticket to the finals. TNT has a twice-to-beat advantage like San Miguel against Ginebra, but neither team relishes the thought of a winner-take-all showdown in a Game 7. The Elasto Painters avoided closure in Game 5 last Friday, bouncing back to win, 113-97, with coach Chot Reyes serving a suspension for accumulating five technical fouls this conference. Reyes' son Josh called the shots for TNT, and it was anybody's game until ROS settled the issue in the third quarter with a 37-12 blast. In Game 4, TNT did the same to ROS, racking up a 39-22 third period to pull away for good.