No
less than two of the league’s most popular – if not the two most
popular — teams are going to figure against each other in one of the
record-breaking three games in the PBA’s season-opening Sunday at the
Smart Araneta Coliseum, ushering in hostilities in the 2013-14 MyDSL
Philippine Cup.
Newly-crowned
2013 Governors Cup champion San Mig Coffee and 2013 Commissioner’s Cup
runner-up Barangay Ginebra tangle in the 3:00 p.m. encounter at the Big
Dome right after the hour-long simultaneous opening ceremonies which
will also happen in the cities of Cebu and Davao.
After
the short but simple opening rites, three-time defending Philippine Cup
champion Talk ‘N Text will also battle Meralco at 3:00 p.m. at the Cebu
Coliseum while reigning Commissioner’s Cup titlist Alaska takes on last
season’s Philippine Cup runner-up Rain or Shine at 5:00 p.m. at the
University of Southeastern Gym in Davao City.
This
is the very first time in the league’s 39-season history that there
will be three games — one each in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao – that
will be played on season-opening day. Previously the season-openers had
only been either one or two games and usually held mostly in Metro
Manila.
While
focus will be on Barangay Ginebra and San Mig Coffee as teams which
averaged an incredible 17,136 in attendance in their three meetings last
season – all three in just the elimination rounds, all eyes will surely
be on both teams’ most important rookie additions which were the first
two players selected in the Annual PBA Draft last Nov. 3.
The
Kings’ fans are hoping No. 1 overall draft pick Greg Slaughter is going
to be the final missing piece to their favourite team’s ending a
five-year title drought. Barangay Ginebra has not won a PBA championship
since the 2008 Fiesta Conference and the Kings landed their first No. 1
pick in the Draft for the first time in 17 years, or since Marlou
Aquino in 1996.
Barangay
Ginebra, which also last won the Philippine Cup in 2007, also fortified
its frontline further with its landing bruiser James Forrester with the
No. 4 pick in the Draft.
Their
acquisitions, many say, fill up the Kings’ needs and weaknesses in the
middle and are expected to strengthen a Barangay Ginebra squad that
already has season MVP runner-up LA Tenorio, former league MVPs Mark
Caguioa and Jayjay Helterbrand, former Smart Gilas stalwarts Japeth
Aguilar and Mac Baracael and slamdunk champion Chris Ellis.
But former PBA Board chairman Robert Non says the Kings are still a work in progress.
“From
the last Ginebra champion team (in 2008), tatlo na lang ang natira –
Caguioa, Helterbrand and Billy Mamaril. Lahat bago, or in their second
year pa lang sa team. So makikita mo lang kung contender ka sa middle of
the conference… You can never tell until such time na mag-jell ang
isang team,” Non was quoted to have said.
After
Slaughter, the No. 2 pick went to San Mig Coffee which expectedly
tabbed former PBA D-League MVP Ian Sangalang. The Mixers also added
three more rookies to their roster in Isaac Holstein, Justin Melton and
JR Cawaling.
The
6-7 ¼ Holstein was Globalport’s No. 7 pick in the Draft but San Mig
Coffee traded for him in exchange for No. 10 pick Justin Chua and
veteran Leo Najorda.
Melton was picked by the Mixers with the 13th selection in the second round and Cawaling with the 30th overall pick in the third round.
San
Mig Coffee head coach Tim Cone was hoping to have had more time to
practice with his new recruits, having ended the previous season just 23
days ago. But while forced to work with what he has, Cone thinks his
boys will be ready.
“We’re
not as prepared as I would like and I’d certainly like to give more
time to the rookies to learn the system first before our first game
against (Ginebra). But the rookies are picking up things quickly and we
certainly have enough veterans who know how to get themselves ready.
It’s not an ideal situation for us but it’s workable,” said Cone.
As
a result, two-time former league MVP James Yap, two-time and reigning
Defensive Player of the Year Marc Pingris, PJ Simon, Joe Devance and
Mark Barroca are expected to banner San Mig Coffee anew in their bid for
a second straight championship and at the same time regain the
Philippine Cup title they last won during the 2009-10 season.
Like
in last season’s Philippine Cup, the 10 teams have been grouped into
two but this time with Air21, Alaska, Barangay Ginebra, Petron Blaze and
Rian or Shine in Group A and Barako Bull, Globalport, Meralco, San Mig
Coffee and Talk ‘N Text in Group B. In the elimination round, the teams
play their groupmates once and the teams from the other group twice for a
total of 14 games each in the elims. Only the Top 8 teams after the
elims will advance to the playoffs.
In
the quarterfinals, the Top 2 teams in the elims will have the
twice-to-beat advantage against the Nos. 7 & 8 teams while the Nos. 3
to 6 teams figure in two best-of-3 quarterfinal series.
Quarterfinal survivors figure in two best-of-seven semifinals leading to the Finals which will also be a best-of-seven affair.
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