ROS, Converge, Northport and Phoenix fight for the eight spot. As the quarterfinals of the PBA Philippine Cup draws closer, spots and positions are still to be decided in the final week of the eliminations.

One tight battle is for the eighth and final spot in the quarterfinals. Rain or Shine and Converge are currently tied on 4-6 win-loss records with a game left to be played. Below them are NorthPort and Phoenix Super LPG, both with 3-7 records.

Among the four teams, Rain or Shine is the hottest, having won three straight games after a six-game losing skid. Phoenix recently broke its five-game-losing skid, while NorthPort also endeda six-game slide before falling to Ginebra this weekend. Converge was on a two-match win streak only to fall to Phoenix in lopsided fashion, 89-66.

As it is, there is still a chance that all four teams will finish with identical records of 4-7 slates. That happens with losses by Rain or Shine against Magnolia and by Converge against Blackwater on Wednesday, and wins by NorthPort over NLEX on Friday and Phoenix Super LPG over Barangay Ginebra on Thursday.

Let us look at the possibilities:

Four-way tie

According to PBA rules, ties for the eighth spot will be broken through a playoff game unless it involves three or more teams. In such cases, the teams that have the two best quotients will go up against each other in the playoff, with the other teams eliminated.

And despite their struggles during the eliminations, Phoenix Super LPG actually has the upper hand in the event of a four-way tie as it has a 2-1 win-loss record over the three other teams with a quotient of 1.0913.

Also having an advantage in that scenario is NorthPort, which has a 2-1 record against the three teams with a quotient of 1.0361.

Rain or Shine and Converge, on the other hand, will have 0.9458 and 0.9286 quotients respectively, which will eliminate them from the quarterfinals.

Three-way tie

Aside from a four-way logjam, a tie among three teams is also a possibility in an event of losses by Rain or Shine and Converge, and a win by either NorthPort or Phoenix.

The teams that will fight for No. 8 will depend on which will end up in a stalemate.

If NorthPort, Converge, and Rain or Shine end up tied, the playoff match will be between the Batang Pier and the FiberXers by way of their 1.0378 and 1.0226 quotients, respectively, with the Elastopainters ousted due to lower 0.9357 quotient.

A tie among Phoenix, Rain or Shine, and Converge will result in a Fuel Masters-Elasto Painters showdown as they have superior quotients of 1.1607 and 0.9891, respectively. Hurt by their 23-point defeat to the Fuel Masters, the FiberXers will be eliminated in this scenario.

In short, the fortunes of Rain or Shine and Converge are in their hands and they only need a win to at least gain a playoff for the eighth spot in the quarterfinals.