FOUR teams are vying for the final two quarterfinal spots in the PBA Governors’ Cup.
NLEX, Meralco, Barangay Ginebra, San Miguel, Magnolia, and TnT KaTropa are assured of places in the quarterfinals while both Blackwater and Phoenix are out.
That leaves Alaska, NorthPort, Columbian, and Rain or Shine to contest the final two berths of the quarterfinals, with the Aces, Batang Pier, and the Elastopainters having matches left to play in the last two playdates of the eliminations.
The Aces are currently tied with the Batang Pier for seventh place on 4-6 records, with idle Dyip sitting at ninth with a 4-7 card. The Elastopainters, meanwhile, hold a 3-7 card. NorthPort and Rain or Shine have games on Sunday against Barangay Ginebra and Meralco respectively, while Alaska will face NLEX on Wednesday.
Here’s the situation for the four teams in the quarterfinal race:

Alaska
The resurgent Aces only need a win against NLEX and they are through, and they can even get the seventh seed in the quarterfinals (More on that later). A loss will not eliminate the Aces outright as they will face either NorthPort or Columbian in a playoff for the eighth seed.
NorthPort
Like the Aces, the Batang Pier need only a win against the Gin Kings to advance. A loss, however, could be fatal as NorthPort can get eliminated from the quarterfinals. That will happens in the event of a four-way tie at 4-7 (if Alaska and NorthPort lose, and Rain or Shine wins). Since only two will advance, the ties will be broken via the quotient tiebreak whereby the team with the best quotient gets No. 7, the next two battle for the No. 8 seed, and the team with the inferior quotient is eliminated.

Under that situation, the Batang Pier will be eliminated because of a 0.978 quotient. Alaska will take No. 7 with a 1.024 quotient while Columbian (1.022) and Rain or Shine (0.975) will battle for No. 8.
NorthPort will also be booted out if it ends up in a tie for eighth place with Columbian and Alaska, again due to an inferior quotient among the three teams involved in the tie.
Columbian
Because of their three-game losing skid at the end of the eliminations, the Dyip are now waiting for an opponent in the playoff for the No. 8 seed. It will be either Alaska, Rain or Shine or NorthPort.
Rain or Shine
The rules for the Elastopainters are simple. Lose and you're out.
Worse, even a win can't guarantee Rain or Shine a quarterfinals berth. The most it can hope for is a four-way tie for seventh place. A three-way tie for eighth place with Columbian and NorthPort will give them a playoff match for No. 8, but a three-way tie with Alaska and Columbian for eighth place with eliminate them.
In summary, Rain or Shine will be hoping for an Alaska win if the Elastopainters beat Meralco on Sunday.
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