IT’S do-or-die thing for three teams in the running for the last quarterfinal berth in the PBA Governors’ Cup.
Rain or Shine vs. NorthPort
The 4:30 p.m. encounter between Rain or Shine and NorthPort is a virtual knockout game as the loser will be eliminated and the winner keeping its quarterfinal hopes alive.
The two teams sport 2-7 records, although the Elasto Painters are on a three-game losing streak.
Worse, Rain or Shine will again play without an import as it has yet to bring in a replacement for Jordan Tolbert, who was found to be an eighth of an inch over the 6-foot-6 height limit.
The Elasto Painters didn’t submit an official replacement to the PBA office at the 12 p.m. deadline on Friday for teams to replace imports.
Coach Yeng Guiao and his team though, had proved in the past they can win even by playing all-Filipino as was the case when it beat Blackwater, 122-117, after Greg Smith II failed to secure a letter of clearance from his old ballclub in the Dominican Republic.
Terrafirma vs. Magnolia
Terrafirma is another team whose season is on the line as it takes on Magnolia in the 6:45 p.m. main game.
Like the Elasto Painters and Batang Pier, the Dyip carry a 2-7 slate and could be on an early vacation should they suffer another loss.
The Dyip are on a five-game slide, the most recent loss a 142-125 defeat to the NLEX Road Warriors.
Magnolia is already assured of a berth in the quarterfinals with its 5-4 record, but is looking to sweep its remaining two games for a possible shot at a Top 4 finish and a twice-to-beat advantage in the playoffs.
The Hotshots are in seventh place at the moment, one game behind joint fifth-placers Converge and Meralco, and one-and-a-half game ahead of seventh-running Phoenix (4-6), the other team still fighting for the last playoffs slot.
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