Last week, we celebrated the upstart squads who were making noise atop the 2024 PBA Philippine Cup leaderboard.
This week, however, San Miguel Beermen, Barangay Ginebra, TNT Tropang Giga and Magnolia Hotshots gave a timely reminder as to why they have ruled over the league for the last eight years.
The old guard is making its stand -- and, ultimately, is standing strong to reclaim the top spots in our weekly power rankings!
1. San Miguel Beermen (5-0)
As the conference's contenders and challengers go up and down, San Miguel just keeps on going slow and steady.
The Beermen stayed unscathed in the All-Filipino after acing the tough test put up by Terrafirma. With Converge FiberXers, NorthPort Batang Pier, Magnolia, and NLEX Road Warriors the immediate obstacles ahead, one thing looks certain: the defending champions will just keep doing what they've been doing.
2. Barangay Ginebra (5-3)
And ... Ginebra is back where it believes it belongs -- battling for a twice-to-beat advantage in the next round.
The Gin Kings moved on from a mini-two-game losing skid by claiming back-to-back convincing victories -- the most recent one a statement win against a red-hot NorthPort side.
What's scarier for the rest of the league is that the crowd favorites did that with lead guard Scottie Thompson still not 100% and with erstwhile little-known Ralph Cu dealing a lot of damage.
3. Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (4-4)
Thanks to a fourth win in a row, Rain or Shine has now evened out its record, with all the momentum it needs to break out of the twice-to-win predicament it presently finds itself in.
As Santi Santillan continues to emerge as a go-to-guy and Beau Belga morphs into a mean triple-double machine, Yeng Guiao and the Elasto Painters are yet again proving to be a problem.
4. TNT Tropang Giga (4-3)
Without much fanfare, TNT has battled back to the top half of the standings.
A big-time triumph over white-hot Robert Bolick and NLEX served as the latest reminder that, as long as Chot Reyes is calling the shots, Jayson Castro is at the controls and Calvin Oftana is continuing to shine brighter as a bona fide superstar, the Tropang Giga will remain in the mix.
5. Magnolia Hotshots (3-2)
Magnolia is yet to get into its groove, but a statement win against NorthPort may very well be the spark they've been waiting for that'll light a fire under them.
And that's just in time, as matchups opposite defending champion San Miguel and playoff hopefuls Rain or Shine, Terrafirma Dyip and TNT still await the Hotshots in the coming weeks.
6. NLEX Road Warriors (5-2)
This may look like quite a drop for NLEX -- which reigned supreme in last week's power rankings -- all because of one loss. However, the Road Warriors had a golden opportunity to tighten its grip on one of the top spots, but fell flat against TNT and its veteran smarts.
Still, with Robert Bolick the frontrunner for Best Player of the Conference (BPC), it won't be too long before the Road Warriors march forward once more.
7. NorthPort Batang Pier (4-3)
Like NLEX, NorthPort had a shot -- two, actually -- to continue shaking up the All-Filipino conference power structure, but eventually ended up being no match for Magnolia and Ginebra in back-to-back outings.
If Arvin Tolentino is out to truly contend for BPC, he needs to put the Batang Pier on his shoulders and carry them back on track.
8. Terrafirma Dyip (4-5)
The schedule hasn't been too kind to Terrafirma, as after dropping two consecutive contests to San Miguel and Rain or Shine, its remaining assignments -- which have just become must-win for its playoff hopes -- are NorthPort and Magnolia.
9. Meralco Bolts (3-4)
Meralco got a week-long breather to gear up for a belated playoff push that will have to go through Magnolia and San Miguel.
10. Blackwater Bossing (3-4)
Yes, Blackwater's 3-0 start to the conference already seems to be a distant memory, but Jeff Cariaso still has a little bit of time to right the ship.
If the Bossing somehow find a way to upset any two -- or even all three -- of Magnolia, NorthPort and San Miguel, the conference may very well still wind up as a success even if they're yet again on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.
11. Phoenix Super LPG (2-5)
Safe to say, this is now a down conference for Jamike Jarin and Phoenix. But hey, they still came out on top of Converge in the battle between the All-Filipino's basement dwellers!
12. Converge FiberXers (0-7)
Converge's best shot at a much-needed win is now gone, with Phoenix taking care of business in the matchup of last-place teams.
But who knows? Maybe the FiberXers can shock the world win a win against San Miguel, Ginebra or TNT in its remaining games.