Games today:

(Ninoy Aquino Stadium)

4:30 p.m. — San Miguel vs Terrafirma

7:30 p.m. — TNT vs Rain or Shine

It’s judgment day for the four remaining teams grinding it out for the last two tickets that will complete the semifinals cast of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup today at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Defending champion San Miguel Beer tries to avoid getting dragged into the wrong side of history as the twice-to-beat top seed meets upset-conscious and a very confident Terrafirma squad one last time in the curtain-raiser of the last quarterfinals playdate at 4:30 p.m.

On the other hand, Rain or Shine and TNT Tropang Giga will wrap up their best-of-three series at 7:30 p.m.

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and Meralco have already set up a best-of-seven semifinals series after booting out Magnolia and NLEX, respectively, in the quarterfinals over the weekend.

The Beermen’s incredible 10-game romp in the elimination round was all in the past now after suffering back-to-back losses including a 95-106 shocker last Saturday at the hands of the No. 8 Dyip to start the playoffs.

Another loss will not only show San Miguel the exit door but will also give it the dubious distinction of being the latest top-ranked team to get eliminated by a lowest-seeded opponent since NLEX got beaten twice by NorthPort in the 2019 Governors’ Cup quarters.

The Beermen are already the first reigning champion and twice-to-beat No. 1 seed to be forced into a sudden death game in playoffs history.

But the winningest franchise in the league has no intention of getting humiliated.

Collective effort on defense will be San Miguel’s main priority after allowing Terrafirma to reach above its average scoring output.

Aside from the usual suspects Juami Tiongson and Rookie of the Year frontrunner Stephen Holt pouring 29 and 25 points, respectively, last game, big man Isaac Go also contributed big time with 22 markers and held his own against Beermen center June Mar Fajardo.

“We need to make adjustments on our defense next game. It’s not just about stopping Isaac but also Juami and Holt. They have a lot of shooters,” Fajardo said.

“We also have to step up on defending their outside shots,” added the seven-time Most Valuable Player after Terrafirma burned San Miguel with 15 triples.

Fajardo and CJ Perez, who scored 20 in their last match, will need to get more from Jericho Cruz, Marcio Lassiter, Terrence Romeo and Chris Ross, who all had forgettable performances in the previous outing.

With a franchise-best seven wins, Terrafirma is playing on a different level. The Dyip have already survived consecutive do-or-die games right from eliminating NorthPort for the last quarters seat.

“We’re prepared but we need to be ready against San Miguel,” Dyip coach Johnedel Cardel said.