In sports, there are collapses of grand proportions and then there’s what the Converge FiberXers went through in their PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup quarterfinal series against the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings. 

Entering the series, the FiberXers held the twice-to-beat advantage thanks to a solid 7-4 record built on consistent play in the preliminary round. However, none of that mattered against the Gin Kings. 

Game 1 was defined by composure and it was Ginebra that maximized the opportunities afforded to them and focused on the circumstances within their control. Meanwhile, things unraveled for Converge, and while Game 1 was a lesson learned, they had to get over the pain of defeat quickly lest they wanted to taste it again. 

The do-or-die Game 2 was a clean slate of sorts as both teams entered on even footing, and this time, the FiberXers learned their lesson. But then, they could not deliver the knockout punch. 

There are times when teams need just a fighting chance to stay alive and the Gin Kings made the most out of that chance to break the hearts of Converge. Call it luck or a comedy of errors, a loss is a loss for the FiberXers and now they head into the abyss of questions and what ifs. 

Indeed, all hope is not lost for Converge, as they are a young squad that will only get better from here. This debacle should serve as motivation for them in the next conferences of PBA Season 50, where putting together a string of solid games with a reliable import and a go-to-guy could atone for this exit. Players could be moved in between conferences and it could be said that at most, a handful of FiberXer players will be untouchable, especially those that continue to fit with the team culture. That being said, they need to build around Juan Gomez De Liano. 

The former UP Fighting Maroon showcased his ability to be THE GUY and if not for the blunders of some of his peers, he could have very well been the one to save Converge’s season. Gomez De Liano is of course, not blameless in this series, but he was responsible for putting the FiberXers in a position to win only for them to let it slip away. 

The thing that does not often get discussed in collapses are the rebuilds. After blowing the 3-1 lead in the 2016 NBA Finals that became fodder for social media, the Golden State Warriors won the next two championships and another one in 2022. Kobe Bryant’s airballs against the Utah Jazz in the 90s dominated the headlines back then, but after that, five NBA championships and a place in the GOAT conversation have followed. 

It might be too much to expect a similar path for the Converge FiberXers at this point, but they have to start somewhere. The pieces are there and the results are slowly materializing, and while this loss to the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings will be a tough pill to swallow, how they overcome it will spell the difference between them remaining a middle-of-the-pack team or one that stands out. 

After all, they’ve provided the PBA a fresh face that could turn into a giant slayer should the pieces fall together.