MAGNOLIA seeks the coveted No. 2 spot and the win-once bonus against a lower seeded opponent in the quarterfinals when it takes on dangerous Rain or Shine in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

A win by the 9-2 Hotshots in the 5:45 p.m. encounter will enable them to take the second seed behind top seed Bay Area Dragons in the eight-team quarterfinal round.

Based on tournament format, the top two teams after the elimination round will enjoy the win-once bonus against the two lowest seeds in the quarterfinals.

A Magnolia victory over Rain or Shine will also relegate crowd favorite Barangay Ginebra to the No. 3 seed and a best- of-three quarterfinal showdown against the No. 6 seed.

Ginebra, however, can snatch the No. 2 seed and the crucial twice-to-beat incentive in the quarterfinals. should Rain or Shine beat Magnolia.

“We’re No. 2 or No. 3. (Rain or Shine) coach Yeng (Guiao) may pull of something on Friday, and we will be cheering for them,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone.

Earlier, San Miguel Beer and Meralco clash in a no-bearing game at 3 p.m.

Win or lose, the 6-5 Beermen are already assured of the No. 5 spot in the quarterfinal round where they will meet No. 4 Converge in a best-of-three series.

Meralco, on the other hand, is already out of the running for a playoff berth with a 4-7 win-loss record.

The Bolts, who suffered an 81-92 setback to NLEX last Wednesday, have no chance whatsoever of landing no higher than 10th place in the 13-team field.

Still, San Miguel is looking forward to the match against Meralco as this will give returning star Terrence Romeo a chance to get ready in time for the playoffs.

A former scoring champion, Romeo has not played since the start of the season due to a back injury but was put back on the active roster last Nov. 21.

“Maglalaro na si Terrence. He’ s been practicing really well these past few days and he’s ready to go. We really need him to get a feel of the game para makatulong na mai-depensa namin ang title,”

said San Miguel coach Leo Austria, who is also set to give way anew to assistant coach Jorge Gallent in the no-bearing game against Meralco.