COFFEE MIXERS START COMM’S CUP DEFENSE ON OPENING NIGHT
San Mig Coffee, with import Matt Rogers and three new local acquisitions, opens its title defense in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup versus Barako Bull on Feb. 8 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Mixers and the Energy Cola clash at 7:30 p.m. after the 5:15 p.m. curtainraiser between Globalport and Petron Blaze on opening day of the mid-season tourney won by San Mig Coffee (then carrying the banner of B-Meg) over Talk n Text in a classic seven-game title duel last year.
The Tropang Texters and the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, the title protagonists in the recent Philippine Cup, return to action in the second conference opposite the Meralco Bolts and the Alaska Aces, respectively, on Feb. 9.
Barangay Ginebra and Air21 will be up against each other in their Commissioner’s Cup debuts on Feb. 10.
Tournament format is a shortened Philippine Cup where the 10 teams figure in single round-robin preliminaries with the best eight advancing to the quarterfinals.
The top two teams enjoy a twice-to-beat edge over the eighth and seventh seeds in the quarters, and it’s No. 3 versus No. 6 and No. 4 against No. 5 in a pair of best-of-three duels.
The four survivors slug it out in best-of-seven showdowns with the finale also a race-to-four-wins affair.
The short elimination phase features road sorties in Puerto Princesa, Palawan; Tubod, Lanao del Norte; Naga City; Legazpi, Albay; and Panabo, Davao del Norte.
Aside from Rogers, other imports strutting their stuff on opening day are Petron’s Renaldo Balkman, Globalport’s Justin Williams and Barako’s Evan Brock.
San Mig Coffee, Petron and Barako Bull show up with new faces in their rosters.
The Mixers unveil Alex Mallari, Leo Najorda and Lester Alvarez, the Boosters welcome to their fold Ronald Tubid while the Energy Cola parade Allein Maliksi, JC Intal, Jonas Villanueva and Jojo Duncil.
Barako also has a new man at the helm in Rajko Toroman. (SB)
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