A remarkable mid-season recovery from a tardy start gives Pate 310 as good as an even winning chance when they face second ranked IRB the Lord at the Beeline Arena tomorrow in the Cambodian Basketball League sponsored by Western Union and Coca-Cola.

Three months ago even a reckless speculator would not have given Pate a fling to be in the position they are now after recording just one win from their first five games.

With Sok Tour driving the team along with some consistent displays, Pate have won their last three games to be well within range of a playoff spot. A victory over The Lord in their game, which tips off at 4pm, will push Pate up to seventh in the ranking table.

Despite surviving a close call against CCPL heat last week, The Lord remain second favourites to claim the title behind top-ranked Alaxan FR Patriots, the only side to inflict defeat on them this season.

The outcome of this contest against Pate will have no impact on The Lord’s ranking order but a victory would keep the camp in good spirits ahead of November’s play-offs.

The only other game featured on the day involves CCPL Heat and Galaxy tipping off at 2pm. If form book is any guide then a tottering Galaxy is likely to be seared by the Heat, who are still ruing their missed chances against The Lord.

For Heat team manager Davuth Sin, it is an ideal opportunity to reignite the passion in the side and keep the players on the hop for the crucial post-season.

At the back of every Heat player’s mind will be those messed up turnovers against both Sela Meas and The Lord, and the team will probably hook up to a better defensive plan, keeping the rest of the season in their sights.

The scheduled third game between Sela Meas and Ganzberg had to be shelved for a dubious reason.

Ganzberg have now painted themselves as sour losers after the side decided to pull out of the tournament once they sensed their chances of making the next grade impossible after losing their fifth game.

A technical committee comprising officials from CBL and the Cambodian Basketball Federation has dubbed Ganzberg’s actions as unsportsmanlike. Several team managers and players have also joined the tirade against Ganzberg, calling the team’s decision to quit irresponsible and a slap in the face for Cambodian basketball.