At 40, Olsen Racela’s playing days in the Philippine Basketball Association are numbered.

And the 2010-11 PBA Philippine Cup marks his last conference in a career spanning 18 seasons.

As he excitedly wait for D-Day, the veteran San Miguel Beer guard relishes the thought of ending his storied career with another championship.

“I wanna finish my career with a championship,” declared Racela, perhaps for the nth time, on
Wednesday after playing his 918th game to tie Philip Cezar at fourth spot for most games played in the all-time list.

He accounted for two assists and scored eight points, including two free throws in the closing
seconds that iced SMB’s 108-104 double overtime win in Game 4 of their semifinal series against Barangay Ginebra.

Looks like Racela might get his wish after all.

With a 3-1 lead, the Beermen are just one win away from advancing to the championship playoffs against the winner of the other series between top-seed Talk N’ Text and B-Meg Derby Ace.

The Beermen try to wrap the series up on Friday when the play the embattled Kings in Game 5 of their best-of-seven duel. Game time is set at 7:30 p.m. at the Araneta Coliseum.

“Gusto namin matapos na,” said Racela during the post-game interview but cautioned it won’t
be easy. “Mahirap kalaban ang Ginebra. They just don’t give up.”

SMB coach Ato Agustin said his players’ ability to keep their composure under intense pressure is making the difference in the series. But despite their overwhelming advantage on all fronts, Agustin refused to count Ginebra out.

“We’ll just take it one game at a time,” he said.

With their campaign on the brink, Ginebra coach Jong Uichico readily admitted they need to raise their level of play in Game 5.

The Kings had a chance to even the series Wednesday but they threw away crucial possessions, missed important shots, and couldn’t capitalize on the breaks when they needed it most.

“We just have to play smarter the next time,” Uichico said.