Eight-time Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo remains upbeat over San Miguel Beer’s chances of defending the crown despite its precarious position of missing the playoffs cut in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup.

A shaky campaign marred by multiple import changes and a mid-tournament coaching shakeup gravely affected the Beermen’s campaign.

San Miguel even fell out of the Top Eight after the elimination round following a 97-115 loss to TNT last Sunday, dragging the decorated team down to 10th spot with a 5-7 win-loss card.

Without control of their fate, the Beermen’s title-retention bid now rests in the hands of NLEX and Magnolia, which are tied with 5-6 slates.

Still, Fajardo, whose bid for a 12th Best Player of the Conference award is in peril if San Miguel misses the quarters, is not losing hope.

“We’re in a tight spot but we still have a chance. So, we’ll still prepare,” Fajardo said after being feted as Mr. Basketball during the annual Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Awards night Monday at the Manila Hotel.

The 6-foot-10 behemoth bared that despite the uncertainty, the Beermen will still train Wednesday.

San Miguel could avoid getting the boot if both the Road Warriors and Hotshots drop their final games forcing a three-way tie at 5-7.

This is the perfect scenario for the Beermen as they hold a superior quotient in the tiebreak. Meaning, San Miguel will survive to fight another day to play NLEX in a do-of-die game for the No. 8 seat.

Last year’s runner-up Magnolia, which stands with the lowest quotient in case of a triple tie will be packing for an early vacation.

Fajardo and the rest of San Miguel are praying hard for this scenario.

“Of course, the team is down. But we still have high hopes (of making it to the next round),” Fajardo said.

A win by either the Road Warriors or the Hotshots will seal the fate of the Beermen missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2015 Commissioner’s Cup and ending 22 straight playoffs appearances — the second-longest active run behind Barangay Ginebra’s 47.