RAIN or Shine and NLEX battle for the final playoff spot in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Sunday night at the Philsports Arena.
The winner of the 6:30 p.m. game will take the eighth and final berth in the quarterfinals where it will face top seed Bay Area.
See Earl Clark eager to get job done as NLEX gets new lease on life
The Elasto Painters and the Road Warriors ended up in a tie for eighth with 5-7 win-loss records, arranging the knockout game for a quarterfinal berth.
The playoff match will be an intriguing one with Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao facing his old team, and a chance to eliminate his former players from the quarterfinal picture.
But Guiao said he is treating the playoff against his ex-team like any other game as he tries to lift his current squad to the quarterfinals.
“We’re not trying to dwell on our past relationships, my former players, my former coaching staff being there,” said Guiao, who had a six-year reign with NLEX before moving back to Rain or Shine.
Incidentally, Guiao is trying to do what he wasn’t able to achieve during his reign with NLEX, enter the quarterfinals during the Commissioner’s Cup. The last time Guiao made it past the eliminations was in 2016 when he lifted Rain or Shine to the championship.
Rain or Shine failed to gain the quarterfinal seat outright after it fell to Magnolia, 106-90, last Friday.
NLEX will look to clinch a quarterfinal berth after six years at the expense of its ex-coach. The Road Warriors won three straight games to wrap up the eliminations including a 92-81 win over Meralco last Wednesday.
“Pumapalag pa,” said NLEX coach Frankie Lim.
With the team still in a transition period and assistant coach Adonis Tierra serving on an interim basis, the Road Warriors defeated the Elasto Painters in their previous match, 96-90, last Sept. 23.
The Dragons hold a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals after topping the eliminations with a 10-2 win-loss record.