Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao keeps on reminding his quarterfinals-bound team about the importance of its last three games in the elimination round of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup.

A twice-to-beat advantage in the next round is within reach of the Elasto Painters. All they need to do is sweep their last outings to boost their chances of finishing in the Top Four and clinch the incentive.

So, Rain or Shine won’t take embattled also-ran Terrafirma lightly with so much at stake for its part when they tackle today in the curtain-raiser of the double-header feature at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

Tipoff time is at 5 p.m. before Phoenix faces NorthPort in the battle of eliminated teams at 7:30 p.m.

“I always tell my team it’s always dangerous playing a team that’s playing without pressure. They might be trying to have a good account of themselves before they bow out, so it’s always dangerous,” Guiao said of the Elasto Painters’ opponent languishing at the bottom with eight straight losses.

Rain or Shine is currently tied with grand slam-seeking TNT in fifth to sixth spot with an identical 5-3 win-loss record but is within striking distance of those inside the Top 4 Magnolia (7-2), NLEX (7-2), San Miguel Beer (6-2) and Barangay Ginebra (6-3).

The Elasto Painters hope to spark a winning run in their final elims stretch following a 109-99 victory over the Fuel Masters last week.

But Guiao knows it won’t be easy against Terrafirma, which gave Converge a scare in its last game.

The Dyip, who are at the bottom with a 1-8 slate, led by as many as 18 behind their early torrid shooting and running game only to falter in the end in a 103-117 loss.

“Any time you step on a basketball court with another team you always have a chance of losing. No matter how small that chance is, it could still happen. We have to be careful of that,” Guiao stressed.

“We have to take control of the game early because if they keep it close, you’ll be in a dangerous situation. That’s what happened in the Converge game. “That’s one thing we’re trying to avoid.”

Rain or Shine will face Terrafirma with a man down, after sweet-shooting guard Felix Lemetti suffered a season-ending hand fracture to join big man Beau Belga (vertigo) in sickbay.

Still Guiao expects an all-out effort from Adrian Nocum, Jhonard Clarito, Santi Santillan and Caelan Tiongson to build momentum heading into heavyweight oppositions in the Beermen on Saturday in Cagayan de Oro and the Kings on 15 June in Antipolo.

“We’re trying to make use of this game to fine-tune our game against San Miguel on Saturday. We want to try some things and see if it will work,” Guiao said.