Rain or Shine was on the verge of losing in a heartbreaking way for the second straight time on Wednesday night, only for the Elasto Painters to dig deep and not allow it to happen again.

After blowing a 19-point lead in the first half and an 11-point bubble at the start of the fourth, the Painters won out in a tight endgame against Talk ‘N Text, 104-102, to stay in the running for a top four slot in the PBA Governors’ Cup playoffs at the Cuneta Astrodome.

Coming into the game with memories of a one-point loss to Barangay Ginebra serving as an added motivational tool, the Painters were efficient in the final minutes with Arizona Reid leading the way as they closed out with a 5-4 card while putting the Tropang Texters dangerously close to an early exit at 2-6.

“We expected a hard game. We knew that it was an important game for both of us,” Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao told reporters. “It (game) means assuring ourselves of a playoff for a top four slot and for TNT, it was for surviving the cut.”

Reid scored two straight undergoal stabs inside the final 1:39, as the Painters broke out of a 96-all game to take a four-point lead entering the final 22.4 seconds.

The Texters, who last missed the playoffs in the 2009 Fiesta Conference with Rashad Bell as an import, came to within 100-99 after a Courtney Fells triple with 11.7 remaining.

But the Painters polished off the victory from the free throw line, with Beau Belga and Paul Lee canning two charities each for a 104-99 lead with three seconds left on the clock.

Guiao actually struggled hard to not say anything bad about what happened several nights back in that game against Barangay Ginebra, which they lost, 100-101, following three free throws by Mac Baracael off a controversial foul called on Belga.

“He (commissioner Chito Salud) stated his opinion, which was there was a foul,” Guiao said when someone pressured him to talk about the protest that never happened after a Rain or Shine official failed to file it on time.

“Our opinion was there was no foul. We have the evidence to prove it. We have the pictures and the video that show it was a no foul,” he continued. “If you watch the video, the whole Ginebra bench (where the last play happened) did not ask for a foul.

“No one from the Ginebra bench expected a foul,” Guiao said. “His (Salud’s) explanation is his opinion. But we have a different opinion. The problem is, he is the commissioner and his opinion is the one that matters.

“But it doesn’t mean that he is right.”

Rain or Shine’s 5-4 record is good for solo fourth place at the moment. And with two playdates left, the Painters can certainly expect some company there.

Meanwhile, Alaska improved to a level 4-4 card earlier in the night with a 91-89 win over Barako Bull in the first game.

Wendell McKines canned the marginal free throws with 12.9 seconds left after snaring the offensive rebound off a miss by Tony dela Cruz from the free throw line.

The loss was the third straight for the Energy, who, after a very promising 3-1 start to the tournament, closed out with a 4-5 record and would advance to the quarterfinals in the bottom half of the draw and needing to win two straight games against a top four team.

“The nice thing about this win is that it set us up for a chance to enter the top four (in the standings),” said Alaska coach Luigi Trillo.