Group effort
The PBA is once again going to implement a group-stage format for the season-ending Governors’ Cup, which tips off on July 10.
PBA commissioner Willie Marcial confirmed the format on Thursday, though he didn’t respond when asked about specific details on the final conference of Season 50, which will run until December but will have a lengthy break at the midway point due to Gilas Pilipinas’ schedule.
Sources said the arrangement will be similar to the one used during last season’s edition of the same conference when 12 teams were split into two groups.
Newly-crowned Commissioner’s Cup champion Barangay Ginebra is in Group A while Philippine Cup winner San Miguel Beer is in Group B based on the groupings that were determined through the teams’ cumulative records in the previous two conferences.
Ginebra is joined by sibling rival Magnolia, Meralco, Rain or Shine, Phoenix and Blackwater in Group A while San Miguel will be facing TNT, losing finalist of both conferences, NLEX, Converge, Titan Ultra, Terrafirma and guest team Macau.
Macau is returning for the third conference despite a dismal campaign in the Commissioner’s Cup.
Under the format, teams in the same group will meet each other twice, with each of the top four advancing to the crossover quarterfinals. The semifinals and Finals are best-of-seven affairs.
It is unclear if the league has already addressed a mixup from the last Governors’ Cup when group winners TNT and Rain or Shine were on the same bracket, and eventually met in the semifinals.
TNT went on to win that series before beating Ginebra for the title.
The conference will take a break after Aug. 14 to give way to Gilas’ campaign in the fourth window of the Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers later that month and the Nagoya Asian Games in September.
A pocket tournament during the break was being floated by the league, though there has yet to be a final decision if the plan will push through, which will allow teams to still play while the conference is on pause.
Action resumes in October, with the playoffs to run until late-December.
******
Get real-time news updates: inqnews.net/inqviber
