BY NOLI CORTEZ

BOOSTED by a blazing start and helped along the way by other teams, Red Bull has either stayed alone at the top or near the lead in the Smart PBA Fiesta Conference.

The Bulls don't intend to deviate from that trend, not in these most crucial stages of the eliminations when they are tantalizingly close to a coveted slot.

Red Bull battles Welcoat today at the Araneta Coliseum, favored to annex its 10th win in 16 outings, but coach Yeng Guiao, instead of taking it easy since the Dragons are already out of the playoff picture, is a little concerned.

Guiao yesterday said the knowledge that Welcoat is already eliminated could affect the thinking and performance of his charges, adding they could fall prey to the Dragons who are waiting to spring a trap.

"I'm a little concerned about our mindset," Guiao said yesterday. "The worst mistake we can make is to expect Welcoat to give us an easy time. Welcoat is a formidable team and is more dangerous when they are playing without pressure."

A Red Bull victory will at least keep it at solo second. It could even vault to the solo leadership anew should Air21 bow to a Magnolia team that is gunning for a third straight win later in the night.

More important, the Bulls could even move closer to an outright berth in the best-of-seven semifinals, the reward of the top two teams after the 18-game eliminations.

Teams Nos. 3 to 5 are seeded outright to the best-of-three quarterfinals while Nos. 6 to 9 will go through the wildcard phase.

Not having to go through the hazards of the wildcard nor the quarters is what Guiao wants, and that is mainly the reason why he can't stress the importance of the game to his wards.

"This is a big game for us," he pointed out. "A win over Welcoat will go a long way in our campaign for an outright semis slot."

Red Bull started the tournament by winning seven of its first nine games, capped by a 109-88 win over Welcoat the first time they met last May 14.

The Bulls have since gone on to lose three straight games and then win two of their last three games, including a 91-93 loss to Purefoods last June 15.

Observers have maintained that 11 wins should be enough to guarantee a team an automatic semis slot and Welcoat should be a fitting kickoff point for Red Bull's stretch drive.