STRONG ACTION-PACKED SEASON FORMAT GETS GREEN LIGHT
SEOUL, Korea – All 12 PBA teams are assured of playing at least 33 games in the 10-month calendar of PBA Season 40 that comes off the wraps Oct. 19 at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.
That is a minimum of 11 games in each of the three conferences with the league holding a single-round-robin elimination phase in the Philippine Cup, the Commissioner’s Cup and the Governors’ Cup.
Different thrill and excitement are in the offing in the three post-elims plays which are distinct from one another.
The PBA Board of Governors, under chair Patrick Gregorio, approved these formats as presented by commissioner Chito Salud in their planning session at the Novotel Ambassador Gangnam Hotel here.
After the elims in the Philippine Cup, the top two automatically advance to the semifinals and the bottom two are automatically eliminated.
The third-ranked team to 10th figure in separate playoff matchups – 3 versus 10, 4 against 9, 5 opposite 8, and 6 versus 7 – with the higher seeds enjoying twice-to-beat advantage.
The winners advance to the best-of-seven semifinals. Then the titular series is also a best-of-seven affair.
In the Commissioner’s Cup, four teams take the boot after the elims. The top eight advance to the quarters with Teams No. 1 and No. 2 – with the twice-to-beat advantage – up against Teams No. 8 and No. 7, respectively. The middle teams (No. 3 vs No. 6 and No. 4 vs No. 5) battle in best-of-three showdowns.
The winners progress to the best-of-five semis, then the Last Two slug it out in a best-of-seven finale.
In the Governors’ Cup, the top eight also advance to the quarters where the top four enjoy “the win-once edge” versus the next four.
The semis is best-of-five and the Finals is best-of-seven.
If all post-elims play stretch to the limit, the season will end on August 7, 2015. (SB)
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
