FOUR-PLAY: Last two Commissioner’s Cup semis slots at stake

Games today:

(Ynares Center)

5 p.m. — Rain or Shine vs Converge

7:30 p.m. — Barangay Ginebra vs Meralco

The day of reckoning comes to the four remaining teams vying for the last two seats in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup semifinals.

It doesn’t matter who won the opener or which squad forced the rubber match. Everything boils down to who wants it more.

Rain or Shine and Converge battle it out one last time, as do Barangay Ginebra and Meralco, in a double-header Game 3 of the best-of-three quarterfinals today at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

Elasto Painters head coach Yeng Guiao wittily sums up their sudden death with the FiberXers at 5 p.m.

“We need to step up again. A do-or-die game for both teams. But one thing is for sure here — the series will end on Sunday. I just don’t who’ll win. That’s my prediction, it will all be over Sunday,” Guiao quipped drawing hearty laughter inside the press room following their series equalizing 114-104 Game 2 victory Friday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Rain or Shine’s defense inside the paint negated Converge’s size advantage that the FiberXers exploited in the series open.

It also helped that import Deon Thompson avoided getting into foul trouble after fouling out early in the third in Game 1 and a timely fourth-quarter explosion from Adrin Nocum to stay in the semis hunt.

“We really like this kind of situation. For a team that’s really hoping to develop into a contender, we need these situations. We need these tests to challenge ourselves, and part of the process,” Guiao said.

Their predicament is nothing new to the Elasto Painters but the fiery mentor is crossing his fingers for the odds to favor them. Rain or Shine isn’t particularly lucky at the Antipolo venue after going 0-3 in the mid-season tournament.

“We like that, I feel the odds will favor us this time. Hopefully, we won’t go down 0-4. We’re playing the odds maybe that’s good for us,” he said.

Conversely, Converge is on the same no-tomorrow game in the quarterfinals and hopes the result would come their way this time.

The FiberXers forced San Miguel Beer to a Game 5 in the Governors’ Cup only to fall short.

Reinforcement Cheick Diallo, Alec Stockton, Justin Arana, Jordan Heading and top overall pick in the last Draft Justine Baltazar are determined to hand the franchise its breakthrough semis appearance to challenge TNT in a best-of-seven affair firing off later this month.

Meanwhile, the Kings and the Bolts cross paths for the last time this conference at 7:30 p.m.

Meralco ended a five-game head-to-head losing skid to Ginebra after taking Game 2 in a thrilling 108-104 escape to level the series Friday.

Head coach Luigi Trillo emphasizes the need for the Bolts to step up their game and to expect the Kings to come in hot looking for payback.

The reigning Philippine Cup champion narrowly escaped the series equalizer, dodging getting into a dangerous overtime when Ginebra guard RJ Abarrientos missed a potential game-tying four-pointer in the dying seconds of the match.