With the playoffs just a few days away, we might see San Miguel’s Terrence Romeo make his conference debut on Friday’s 2022 PBA Commissioner’s Cup games.
PBA Friday Games (December 2, 2022)
Venue: PhilSports Arena
First Game: San Miguel Beermen versus Meralco Bolts (3:00 PM)
Second Game: Rain or Shine Elasto Painters versus Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots (5:45 PM)
Romeo Return spices Up SMB-Meralco Tilt
| San Miguel Beermen | Meralco Bolts | |
| Offensive Rating | 109.5 (4th) | 103.4 (9th) |
| Defensive Rating | 105.1 (6th) | 107.6 (11th) |
| Pace | 80.9 (4th) | 74.5 (13th) |
| Standing | 6-5 (5th) | 4-7 (10th) |
Previous Games: San Miguel won against TNT Tropang Giga, 119-99; Meralco lost to NLEX Road Warriors, 81-92
This may be a no-bearing game for both teams (at least in the standings), but San Miguel may want to fine-tune everything they could heading into the playoffs. Of course, the headline would be the potential return of star guard Terrence Romeo, who is reportedly ready and available to play against Meralco on Friday. Romeo is still an elite shot-creator and playmaker today, but he still needs some time to work into his conditioning and feel of the game.
It would be quite the logjam in the Beermen’s backcourt though, as they have to find a way to insert Romeo into the rotation. Marcio Lassiter and Jericho Cruz will surely see more time playing small forward once Romeo returns, but the SMB coaching staff still has to distribute minutes to Simon Enciso, CJ Perez, and Chris Ross.
Still, this is a good problem to have, as San Miguel will now be at full strength with the playoffs just around the corner. The 5th-seeded Beermen are slated to face the 4th-ranked Converge FiberXers in the quarterfinals.
Magnolia, ROS gear up for high-stakes match
| Rain or Shine Elasto Painters | Magnolia Hotshots | |
| Offensive Rating | 103.1 (10th) | 107.1 (5th) |
| Defensive Rating | 103.6 (5th) | 98.9 (3rd) |
| Pace | 78.0 (8th) | 76.6 (10th) |
| Standing | 5-6 (8th) | 9-2 (2nd) |
Previous Games: Rain or Shine won against Blackwater Bossing, 116-97; Magnolia won against Meralco, 108-96
Rain or Shine just needs a win on Friday to get an outright quarterfinals berth. If they lose, they need to go through a do-or-die game against Earl Clark and the NLEX Road Warriors for the last playoff ticket. But Rain or Shine has their work cut out, as they’ll be facing a Magnolia squad that is still aiming to clinch a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
Putting the clamps on Magnolia’s Paul Lee, who is coming off a 28-point performance against Meralco, will be crucial. But the Elasto Painters might have bigger problems against the Hotshots’ third-ranked defense. Rain or Shine has been below average when it comes to offense, and they need their top guns to come up big against Magnolia. Can Rey Nambatac and import Ryan Pearson sustain their efficient scoring from their previous game?
