THE wild, hot chase for the "twice-to-beat" comes down to a climactic end, with three teams making a final shot at it in a pair of crucial matches to close the PBA Philippine Cup elimination round at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo Sunday.
The race could eventually come down to the last game of the elims pitting Barangay Ginebra versus Rain or Shine at 7:30 p.m.
It's a virtual playoff match, with a win for the Gin Kings giving them an outright finish in the Magic Four.
For Rain or Shine, a victory will open a window of opportunity to crack the Top Four via a tiebreak in possible heavy jams.
Through the penultimate play date of the elims last Friday, only NLEX and Magnolia have put a lock on the coveted seedings with similar 8-3 slates.
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San Miguel Beer (7-3) may well be the third team to make it, with the Beermen being heavy favorites versus the NorthPort Batang Pier in their 5 p.m. clash.
And that would leave the Gin Kings and the Elasto Painters in a playoff like showdown.
There would be no complication at all should both San Miguel and Ginebra win.
In such case, NLEX, Magnolia, San Miguel and Ginebra will advance to the quarters as the top seeds playing with the twice-to-beat advantage.
Rain or Shine, however, creates a logjam if it beats Ginebra.
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One possibility is a three-way tie at fourth place among the E-Painters, the Gin Kings and the Converge FiberXers at 7-4. Then the quotient tiebreak will come to play.
Coach Tim Cone's chargers put themselves in their current position following back-to-back wins over Magnolia (85-81) and TNT (97-78) as Rain or Shine dropped its last outing against San Miguel (111-120). (SB)
