MANILA: Mission accomplished for Rain or Shine. At least half of it.

Running and gunning at every given opportunity on Sunday night, the Elasto Painters led by as large as 27 points on the way to plastering KIA Motors and its lumbering 7-foot-3 import, 119-99, to bag top seeding in the first round of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup playoffs at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.

Wayne Chism, knowing that he doesn’t stand a chance in a post-game matchup with the hulking PJ Ramos, burned the Carnival with six triples on the way to a 28-point night and got help from five locals who turned in twin digits scores.

Rain or Shine closed out the single-round eliminations with an 8-3 card, a record later on matched by Talk ‘N Text as the Painters and the Tropang Texters dropped defending champion Purefoods to No. 3 overall and into a longer quarterfinal series.

The Texters, with Ivan Johnson shooting 47 points before blowing his top late in the game, shot down hard-fighting Alaska, 101-93, for No. 2 and the second twice-to-beat privilege in the first round of the playoffs that starts on Friday.

Rain or Shine built a 71-44 lead late in the second period before allowing the Carnival to prune that down to as little as four late in the third.

But the Painters regained their wits just in time and put the Carnival on the brink of an early vacation for the second straight conference with a 4-7 card.

Alaska, which also fell to 4-6, still has the chance to make the playoffs outright with a victory over Barangay Ginebra at the close of the elimination round on Wednesday.

KIA, meanwhile, will have to play the waiting game and hope that Barako Bull and Globalport don’t get to five wins for the Carnival to have a shot at making the playoffs via the quotient system.

Barako Bull plays NLEX and the Batang Pier tangle with San Miguel Beer on Tuesday with the Beermen suddenly figuring in the mix again if they beat Globalport by at least 11 points.

As things stand, Rain or Shine, Talk ‘N Text, Purefoods, NLEX, Meralco and Ginebra have made the quarterfinals, with the Gin Kings needing to beat Alaska to be assured of playing in a best-of-three series.

Numbers 8 and 7 would need to beat Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, two straight times to advance to the Final Four, while No. 3 and No. 6 and Nos. 4 and 5 slug it out in separate race-to-two affairs for the right to advance to the next round.

“What is important for us is getting that twice-to-beat advantage,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao after the win. “We don’t care whether we’re No. 1 or No. 2 or whichever it is we will be facing. We’ll also get a few days’ break to refresh and recover.”

Raymond Almazan scored 16 points and super combo guard Paul Lee added 14 coming off the bench as the Painters get a six-day break before plunging back into action on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.

Ramos scored 45 points and plucked down 21 rebounds in another dominating effort, but the Carnival couldn’t get out of that 27-point hole and wound up with a 4-7 record.

The problem with KIA is that if ties occur for the last two or final quarterfinal berth, it would most likely lose in the quotient since the teams that it beat – Purefoods and Talk ‘N Text included – won’t likely be involved in the tie with them, hence, an inferior quotient.

Ranidel de Ocampo scattered 20 points and Jason Castro finished with 10 for the Texters, who, as a team, had to restrain Johnson from attacking players and even coaches of Alaska after the game.

The altercation went down all the way to the hallway leading to the respective dugouts of both squads as Johnson and Calvin Abueva refused to be cooled down.

Both got into heated action in the dying minutes of the game that the Texters practically controlled all night. Talk 'N Text led by as many as 25 early in the third period, 69-44.

Alaska got 23 points from import Damion Jones and 16 from Abueva and the only chance for the Aces to march on is with a victory over the Gin Kings on Wednesday and hope that Barako Bull and Globalport lose their last assignments.