There is a major shakeup atop the 2022-23 PBA Commissioner's Cup rankings, as another dominant win by the red-hot Converge FiberXers pushed them past the Magnolia Hotshots and a Bay Area Dragons squad that found themselves on the wrong end of a massive upset.
The playoff picture is starting to take shape halfway through the conference. Here's a rundown of all 13 teams in this week's edition.
1. Converge FiberXers (6-2)
Previous ranking: 3rd
An easy 24-point win over NLEX on Saturday without playmaker Quincy Miller says a lot about how Converge operates: They come at you from all angles and bury you with supreme shot-making and unabashed confidence across the board. Aljun Melecio -- who dropped a career-high 24 points and 5 3-pointers after a stinker against Blackwater -- personifies those traits on his best days. But Jeron Teng's consistency and Justin Arana's sturdiness defined the FiberXers rise from a meager 1-2 start into kings of these power rankings. A matchup against Phoenix Super LPG and their league-best defense (97.0 defensive rating, per RealGM) should steel Converge heading into the playoffs.
Up next: Phoenix Fuel Masters (Nov. 9)
2. Magnolia Hotshots (6-1)
Previous ranking: 2nd
Two weeks after a meltdown against Barangay Ginebra, Magnolia avoided tumbling further by taking care of business against Blackwater and regained the league lead. In many ways, these are the same Hotshots that dominated elimination rounds over the past couple of conferences: They're a top-flight defense and coach Chito Victolero is creative enough to churn out a great offense. Whether they can maintain it in the playoffs is a different question, but nothing suggests that Magnolia's status as a championship contender is in question. A killer three-game stretch against Phoenix, San Miguel and Bay Area awaits over the next two weeks.
Up next: Phoenix Fuel Masters (Nov. 12)
3. Bay Area Dragons (6-2)
Previous ranking: 1st
Losing to a skidding, undermanned Meralco squad that trotted out returning PBA import KJ McDaniels is an unacceptable way to come out of a two-week break. Depth has been an issue as the Dragons have relied heavily on Myles Powell and Andrew Nicholson. That weakness was apparent against the Bolts, where Nicholson scored 50 of the team's 89. The 9 points off the bench failed to compensate for an off night from top guard Glen Yang (2 points on 1-for-9 shooting, 10 assists). The Dragons (+16.0 net rating, first) still profile as an elite squad built for a championship run, but the sustainability of mostly relying on an import and Yang under playoff pressure is under serious question. Bay Area will now have to decide between Nicholson and Powell for an import they'll play the rest of the way, but choosing an import probably matters less than whipping the supporting cast into shape.
Up next: Rain or Shine (Nov. 11)
4. Phoenix Fuel Masters (5-3)
Previous ranking: 4th
Phoenix smashed early conference projections by taking down big names left and right to assemble a dream stretch of five straight wins and put itself in a good position to fight for a playoff spot. But a fine line separates playoff contenders and great elimination round teams, and a difficult slate over the next three games (Converge, Magnolia, San Miguel) should give the Fuel Masters an idea on where they stand. Scoring has not come easy for Phoenix, but the top-ranked defense should give these powerhouses fits and give coach Topex Robinson more than a puncher's chance during this crucial stretch.
Up next: Converge FiberXers (Nov. 9), Magnolia Hotshots (Nov. 12)
5. Barangay Ginebra (5-2)
Previous ranking: 5th
Ginebra isn't keen on making life easier on themselves. Down 19, Ginebra turned on the jets in the fourth quarter, outscored San Miguel 34-19 in the final 12 minutes, and relied on a Scottie Thompson game-winner from the corner to escape the Beermen and tally their third straight win. This also marks the second time during the win streak that they've come back from a double-digit deficit. It's safe to say we haven't seen the best of Ginebra yet -- they are notorious slow-starters with both the offense and defense hovering a little above league average -- but there's a chance we see a refreshed version of this squad once they come out of an 11-day break. They will play five games in a 13-day stretch from November 18 to 30.
Up next: Blackwater Bossing (Nov. 18)
6. San Miguel Beermen (3-4)
Previous ranking: 6th
If teams are looking to keep the Beermen out of the playoff picture, now is the best time. At 3-4 following an unsightly meltdown at the hands of Ginebra on Sunday, there remains a slight (but very real) chance that SMB drops out of the race for the last quarterfinals slots if it doesn't get its act together. Through seven games, San Miguel has only registered one win against a team currently on track for a playoff spot (Rain or Shine). That could easily change if they beat any of Magnolia, Phoenix, or TNT (and a Meralco squad looking to make a very late push), but that's not an easy job to do with star center June Mar Fajardo still three to five weeks away from returning to the lineup.
Up next: Magnolia Hotshots (Nov. 16)
7. TNT Tropang Giga (4-4)
Previous ranking: 7th
TNT will not get bonus points for taking a scheduled win over the cellar-dwelling Terrafirma, but they do get more optimistic projections after smoothing things out with Mikey Williams -- a tumultuous week that saw him earn a two-game suspension for missing practices. Tropang Giga's depth gives them great margin for error, but Williams eventually plays the biggest role in getting them over the hump as the best shot-creating local and long distance shooter in the league. Getting him back in tow only bodes well for their playoff readiness, which feels understandably understated at the moment. At 4-4, TNT's record doesn't exactly jump off the page, but some metrics do: Coach Chot Reyes' team is one of only two squads to post a top-four rating on both sides of the floor, per RealGM.
Up next: Meralco Bolts (Nov. 16)
8. Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (4-4)
Previous ranking: 10th
Scoring remains difficult for the Elasto Painters, who eked out a one-point win over NorthPort despite shooting under 40 percent from the field and missing 32 of their 40 attempts from deep. The defense (100.3 defensive rating, third) has made up for the meager production on the other end (101.6 points per 100 possessions, ninth), as has been the case over the past couple of seasons. But Rain or Shine is taking smart shots (lots of corner 3s and above-the-break triples), and 64% of their shots are assisted (2nd-highest), which means there's a good offense underneath all those missed shots. Still, it's fair to wonder if the shots will ever start falling; shot-making has been Rain or Shine's undoing over the past couple of seasons, and it's hard to imagine it's about to change anytime soon with this roster construction.
Up next: Bay Area Dragons (Nov. 11)
9. Meralco Bolts (2-5)
Previous ranking:12th
That's a heck of a win for the Bolts, who showed signs of life by pulling off the upset of the conference so far against the favored Bay Area Dragons. It's also a morale-boosting victory of sorts for Meralco, a team sapped of its trademark stability after dealing with numerous injuries in the backcourt to go along with a less-than-competent import in Johnny O'Bryant for the first six games. McDaniels injects some much-needed change of pace and energy, but unless Chris Newsome (calf) gets healthy tomorrow and the Bolts win at least four of their next five games (not impossible!), the former NBA vet's arrival comes a little too late and might mean nothing more than an early preparation for the Governors' Cup.
Up next: Blackwater Bossing (Nov. 11)
10. NorthPort Batang Pier (3-5)
Previous ranking: 8th
What initially looked like a promising campaign marred by narrow losses is unraveling into another fruitless conference for the Batang Pier -- who are on the outside looking in with five games left on their schedule. Robert Bolick has gone as cold as the offense (100.2 offensive rating, 10th), Arvin Tolentino has crashed from his hot start, while the defense (107 defensive rating, 9th) has been kind of a revolving door all conference long. There's still a chance that the Batang Pier sweep their last four games, but even then that's not a guarantee that they'll make the playoffs.
Up next: NLEX Road Warriors (Nov. 9)
11. Blackwater Bossing (3-6)
Previous ranking: 9th
That might be it for the Bossing. With only three games left on their schedule, Blackwater does not have enough to compete for a playoff spot without Baser Amer, questionable for the rest of the conference due to a calf strain, and Troy Rosario, still dealing with a foot injury that has sidelined him for the last couple of weeks. The Bossing have been scrappy and have shown signs of being competitive, but the offense (98.6 offensive rating) lacks the juice without their two best locals. Maybe things will get better next conference, as they possess the potential to be a late-seeded playoff team when healthy.
Up next: Meralco Bolts (Nov. 11)
12. NLEX Road Warriors (3-4)
Previous ranking: 11th
Defense, as usual, undid the Road Warriors, owners of the second-worst defense (111.3 defensive rating) in the league. Earl Clark, Don Trollano, Kevin Alas, and Philip Paniamogan will continue to score enough to keep NLEX competitive, but their dismal defense will keep them from seriously contending for a playoff spot -- even if they technically have a record better than three teams ahead of them in these rankings. But with five games left on the docket -- and three against teams currently not in the playoff picture -- anything is possible.
Up next: NorthPort Batang Pier (Nov. 9)
13. Terrafirma Dyip (0-7)
Previous ranking: 12th
Terrafirma has now dropped 23 straight games. That's six away from tying the league record.
Up next: NorthPort Batang Pier (Nov. 12)