Such is the cutthroat nature of the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup format that one can’t help wonder which of the ballclubs face the more merciful fate – the 10th team that gets eliminated at the end of the regular elimination round or the four that go through the gallows stage known as the wildcard phase.

Even as the future looks bright and rosy for two teams in the upper strata of the standings – San Miguel (12-3) and Alaska (11-2) – the rest of the field, from current third running Talk ‘N Text (10-5) to cellar-dwelling Barako Bull (2-12), are bracing for dark clouds and stormy weather, especially with the cool breeze of the holiday season about to blow over.

With at least three games left in the classification schedule, the Beermen and the Aces hug the inside track in the race for two outright Final Four berths, and barring any homestretch disaster, like losing all their remaining games, coaches Siot Tanquingcen and Tim Cone will be sitting pretty two weeks from now.

But if catastrophe does strike and the leaders falter, then the Tropang Texters, Purefoods Giants (9-6), and Ginebra Kings (9-6) will get one final shot at dislodging either San Miguel or Alaska and positioning themselves for an automatic semifinal slot.

As things stand, however, the Beermen and Aces are on the verge of claiming the Final Four incentives, with Talk ‘N Text, Purefoods and Ginebra probably settling for the outright quarterfinal berths.

It is beneath them that chaos reigns, with the Sta. Lucia Realtors at 7-6 still nursing strong chances of making it to the quarters without going through the draining wildcard wringer.

From there, trailing downward, the race reaches a deadly pace.

Burger King at 5-10, Rain or Shine at 4-10, Coca-Cola at 3-12, and Barako Bull are all jostling to stay alive even as the sickle of death swings perilously close to the downtrodden Energy Boosters.

After the top two teams clinch outright semifinal spots and the next three ballclubs earn passage to the quarterfinals, the last five teams duke it out to determine which one bows out of the running and which four stays in the wildcard carousel where No. 6 team plays No. 9 and No. 7 meets No. 8 in a knockout duel.

The winners then face off to determine the fourth and last quarterfinal entry.

Though life is fast ebbing from them, the Energy Boosters, if they can summon the courage and strength for one ultimate surge, could reel inthe Elasto Painters and the Tigers for a place in the wildcard, a fact not lost on Rain or Shine’s Caloy Garcia and Coke’s Bo Perasol.

Garcia and the Painters are up for a critical match with Boyet Fernandez and the Realtors on Jan. 6 when the conference resumes. Both teams need a victory and neither has the luxury of taking the other lightly.

Sta. Lucia’s bid for a quarterfinal berth could get shattered with a loss here, while Rain or Shine, glossy and sparkling after its double-digit win over Barako Bull before the Christmas break, could both lose its bright sheen and recharge the Energy Boosters’ flickering hopes if it falls.

Burger King has Sta. Lucia, Ginebra and Alaska for its final elimination assignments, while Rain or Shine has Sta. Lucia, Purefoods, Coca-Cola, and Alaska.

Coke has San Miguel, Rain or Shine and Barako Bull left, while the Boosters face must-win battles with San Miguel, Talk ‘N Text, Sta. Lucia, and Coca-Cola.

It’s going down the wire, from top to bottom, for all 10 teams as the classification round heats up within the next three weeks.

Two teams have both feet inside the quarterfinal door, three have one foot jammed in, and a sixth is furiously knocking.

Below them, fiercely clawing at each other, four other ballclubs all out of contention for quarterfinal seats are fighting to stay out of the execution chamber, putting everything on the line to prolong their agony for one more game under the more excruciating atmosphere of the knockout wildcard stage. (Tempo Sports)