Only eight teams remain in the PBA Season 48 Commissioner's Cup as the elimination round came to an end on Sunday with Converge FiberXers, Blackwater Bossing, Terrafirma Dyip and NLEX Road Warriors all falling by the wayside.
The playoffs start on Wednesday with the quarterfinals and, as such, our final Power Rankings for this conference will feature only the eight teams still standing.
Rankings are based on their form heading into the playoffs, and not necessarily their seeding.
1. Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (7th seed)
The Elasto Painters completed their remarkable elimination-round turnaround by beating the FiberXers in their last game to finish with six straight wins after opening the tournament with five consecutive losses.
Because they dug themselves in such a deep hole at the onset, their winning streak was only good enough to net them the 7th seed and a quarterfinal showdown with San Miguel Beermen, who are also on a winning streak themselves.
But no opposing coach relishes the idea of facing a red-hot Yeng Guiao-coached team at this stage of the tournament.
Up next: San Miguel Beermen (Jan. 19)
2. San Miguel Beermen (2nd seed)
The Beermen enter the playoffs riding the momentum of a five-game winning streak that allowed them to grab the second seed and a showdown with the equally streaking Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.
They're also virtually complete now as June Mar Fajardo and Jeron Teng both marked their return from injury in their 125-117 win over the Bossing last Friday.
Fajardo looked good in 33 minutes with an 11-9-6 statline, while Teng got his feet wet again with five points in 13 minutes.
Up next: Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (Jan. 19)
3. Barangay Ginebra (3rd seed)
The Kings had to go through some anxious moments before turning back the spirited challenge of the Road Warriors in Legazpi City to grab the third seed.
That gave them a four-game winning streak heading into the quarterfinals, where they will face NorthPort Batang Pier with a twice-to-beat advantage.
Tony Bishop may be averaging only 22.9PPG, lower than most of his counterparts, but balanced output from locals Scottie Thompson, Christian Standhardinger, Maverick Ahanmisi and Jamie Malonzo have made Barangay Ginebra an all-around threat for any opponent.
Up next: NorthPort Batang Pier (Jan. 19)
4. TNT Tropang Giga (8th seed)
The Tropang Giga welcomed back RR Pogoy, who had sat out majority of the elimination round with myocarditis, with a big win over the Fuel Masters that allowed them to avoid a one-game playoff against the Road Warriors for the 8th seed.
Pogoy had a decent 11-point output in 20 minutes, and his return could not have come at a better time as the Tropang Giga face an uphill battle against the top-seeded Hotshots in the quarterfinals.
Up next: Magnolia Hotshots (Jan. 17)
5. Phoenix Super LPG (4th seed)
The Fuel Masters blew a chance to secure the second seed after getting blown out by the Tropang Giga in their last game of the elimination round and falling to the fourth seed.
It was a disappointing follow-up to their masterful win over Meralco Bolts just four days earlier.
They will still have the twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals against the Bolts, though, putting them just one win away from a first-ever semifinal appearance.
Up next: Meralco Bolts (Jan. 17)
6. Meralco Bolts (5th seed)
Too bad for the Bolts, they were given a tough schedule of games over the last ten days, including an EASL outing and an out-of-town game, that caught up with them for their crucial game against the Fuel Masters.
That loss to Phoenix cost them a twice-to-beat advantage, and they're now faced with the tough task of defeating the Fuel Masters twice in the quarterfinals.
They're now on their third import in Shonn Miller, who's averaged 27PPG so far in the three games, and the hope is that he will be finally settled in by the time the quarterfinals get underway.
Up next: Phoenix Super LPG (Jan. 17)
7. Magnolia Hotshots (1st seed)
The Hotshots wobbled a bit heading into the playoffs, dropping two of their last four after opening the conference with a franchise-best 7-0 start.
Calvin Abueva came back for their last two games, and it's obvious he'll need more time to get his legs under him as he's shooting just 30.8% from the field.
Overall, the Hotshots are still tops in defense, giving up only 88.6PPG, but are still last in 3-point shots made (6.7) and attempted (22.5) per game.
They face the unpredictable TNT Tropang Giga in the quarterfinals, whom they beat on opening day, but the Giga were without RR Pogoy and Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson back then.
Up next: TNT Tropang Giga (Jan 17)
8. NorthPort Batang Pier (6th seed)
The Batang Pier were never able to build on the momentum of their huge win over the Beermen, dropping three of their last four to slide down to 6-5 and the 6th seed.
Their offense is clearly an issue as they have the lowest field goal percentage (38.6%) among all the eight remaining teams, something that they need to address quickly as they have to beat the third-seeded Ginebra twice in the quarterfinals.
Up next: Barangay Ginebra (Jan. 19)