Games today:

(Smart Araneta Coliseum)

4:30 p.m. — NLEX vs Meralco

7:30 p.m. — TNT vs Rain or Shine

It’s off to the races for the teams aspiring to claim seats in the semifinals when the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup playoffs action explodes today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

TNT head coach Chot Reyes braces for dogfight against a raging Rain or Shine side when they open their best-of-three quarterfinals showdown in the main game of the double-header feature set at 7:30 p.m.

“Rain or Shine outside of San Miguel, they’re the hottest team in the league. They won six of their last seven games,” Reyes said of the Tropang Giga’s No. 5 seed opponent.

TNT landed as No. 4 ranked team after the eliminations with a 6-5 win-loss card it shared with the Elasto Painters, NLEX, Meralco and Magnolia.

The Bolts took the third seeding and will face the No. 6 Road Warriors in the other best-of-three quarters pairing kicking off at 4:30 p.m.

The Tropang Giga formalized their playoffs entry last Sunday after a 98-93 victory over the Hotshots, who will take on twice-to-beat Barangay Ginebra San Miguel on Saturday.

Reyes sees Rain or Shine as a different team from the one it defeated in the eliminations two months ago.

‘Let’s see where our fate will take us.’

“The last time we played them we barely beat them. We just escaped by the skin of our teeth. A very strong team. Coach Yeng (Guiao) has them playing at a very high level,” the mentor said of the Elasto Painters they survived in a close 108-107 win back on 28 February in the conference opener.

To take the pivotal Game 1, Reyes hopes his grizzled veterans Jayson Castro and Kelly Williams will be in top form after a few days of rest. He also expects RR Pogoy, Calvin Oftana, Bria Heruela and bruisers Glenn Khobuntin and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser will do their share for the cause.

“The only way we can compete with them is if we have everyone onboard,” the mentor said.

The Elasto Painters, on the other hand, have built good momentum after an early struggle in the preliminaries which saw them drop four straight games.

Veteran Beau Belga has been consistent with his productions, averaging 17.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. He will be at the helm of Rain or Shine’s drive along with youngsters Santi Santillan, Andrei Caracut, Adrian Nocum, Shaun Ildefonso and returning center Keith Datu.

“Let’s see where our fate will take us,” said Guiao, whose wards blew out NLEX, 120-104, to close the elims last week.