E-Painters eye Final Four

SAMIGUE Eman of Alaska goes for a reverse layup off Raymond Almazan of Rain or Shine in their match Friday. The Painters won, 98-95.AUGUST DELA CRUZ

IN-FORM Rain or Shine shoots for an automatic Final Four slot in the PBA Philippine Cup today when the Elasto Painters put their six-game winning streak on the line against the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.

Tip-off is at 5:15 p.m. with the Painters in for another rough grind against the tallest team in the field.

The Painters will become the first semifinalist with a win and oust Alaska in the race for the top two as San Miguel Beer has  a clear shot at the second berth when the Beermen clash with winless Blackwater on Tuesday.

A loss by the Painters coupled by an expected San Miguel win will install Talk ‘N Text as the No. 2 team.

An upset by the Elite would create a four-way tie for No. 1 and will put Alaska back in the mix.

In that scenario, the Painters and the Aces will take the top two slots and leave Talk ‘N Text and San Miguel as Nos. 3 and 4 with twice-to-beat privileges in the first phase of the quarterfinals.

Rain or Shine sustained its streak despite being severely shorthanded for the past month. The Elasto Painters welcomed back Jeff Chan on Friday night and churned out a 98-95 victory over Alaska.

That was the third straight tightrope act for the Painters, who know that their game against the Gin Kings won’t be any different.

“We expect a similar game on Sunday (today),” Rain or Shine’s Yeng Guiao said Friday. “We’re on a six-game winning streak, but if we lose on Sunday, that will be worthless.

“We have to cap this (run) with a win on Sunday.”

Ginebra, like Rain or Shine, will be coming off a victory over the Aces, and the Gin Kings are again expected to go to Greg Slaughter and Japeth Aguilar in order to exploit their advantage in size.

Rain or Shine, though, has Paul Lee, Gabe Norwood and Chan as stars in the guard position. Against Alaska, Guiao pulled an ace in rookie Jericho Cruz, who made the Painters’ final four points.

Meanwhile, NLEX tries to snap a three-game slide and take a winning feeling into the playoffs when the Road Warriors battle ousted newcomer KIA Motors in the 3 p.m. contest.

Boxing icon Manny Pacquiao has reportedly taken his name out of the active roster for the Sorento’s final game of the tournament.