![Javi Gomez de Liano Terrafirma Dip PBA Philippine Cup](https://sports.inquirer.net/files/2024/05/PBA-Images12-1-1.jpg)
Thanks to Javi Gomez de Liano's performance, Terra Firma defeated North Port and advanced to the quarterfinals of the PBA Philippine Cup. –PBA images
Loud music blared from the Terra Firma locker room as Coach Diepp celebrated a rare achievement for a team that had lived in a basement for years.
The team defeated North Port Batan Pier 104-96 in the only game of the PBA Philippine Cup on Wednesday at Ninoy Aquino Stadium, clinching the eighth and final quarterfinal berth.
The result not only ended the 16-conference playoff drought, but extended the team's Cinderella-like run and may have changed the bleak label's narrative.
“I hope Terra Firma’s reputation changes,” Isaac Go told the Inquirer before the Dieps clinched their second-ever playoff berth. “I hope (the team) stays focused when they face us and not people just passing us by.”
Big games from Javi Gomez de Liano, undisputed leader Juami Tiongson and rookie Stephen Holt gave Terrafirma an extended campaign and a rare taste of playoff basketball.
However, the rewards come with pitfalls. Terra Firma will face top-seeded San Miguel Beer in the quarterfinals, hoping to achieve the impossible of winning twice.
They will meet at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum on Saturday.
„As I told the team, we can't be overconfident,“ Thionson said. „The fact that we're in the playoffs doesn't mean the job is done. We still have games left to play. You never know, you never know what's going to happen.“
The Dyps have won five games, the most in the conference under coach Joneder Carder. However, after losing 11 games, they ended up sharing 8th place with Batan Pier, making it a mid-week battle for survival.
Terrafirma had some memorable wins in the all-Filipino tournament, including Tiongson's triple against Blackwater and Holt's go-ahead layup last time out against Northport.
However, Goh also pointed out that Terrafirma could have won more, even if it lost by a narrow margin.
„Five games (wins) are like a blessing for us,“ he said. “But we lost a lot of close games because we know nothing is given and everything is earned.”
Regardless of how the conference ends, the next question facing the Dieps will clearly be whether the core can remain intact for a chance to build on that impressive run.
If that happens, Go wants to continue what it's already started, rather than seeing players come and go as the norm.
„It's already a matter of pride for us that we want to come here and compete. We don't just come here and have fun,“ Go said.