A new beginning
It was another historic week for Philippine basketball. Thursday, the upgraded Pilipinas Super League held its season opener for the 2024 President’s Cup in spectacular manner at the Araneta Coliseum. The two-hour opening ceremony, hosted by yours truly and the brilliant Alexis Sy, culminated with a five-song set by the phenomenal Bamboo. A huge crowd stayed to watch the first game between NKT Sniper Cainta and Manila Citystars. Cainta led by 10 most of the way, but Manila came back and took its own 10-point lead. The game went down the wire, with the Citystars winning by one.
The thrillers continued over the weekend. It had probably been seven years since this writer had called a live game since inexplicably being taken off the NCAA broadcast panel back at ABS-CBN Sports. The adrenaline surge was a big reminder of why we all love the game so much. Ask any professional basketball coaches who’ve had a turn at broadcasting games, and they’ll tell you it’s harder to shake off the excitement. Hours after, you’ll find yourself unable to wind down if you aren’t used to it. That still rings true today. The second game of Saturday’s double-header saw the newcomer Alpha Omega Kings road back from 14 points down to take their first lead in the fourth quarter and score an upset over a championship-caliber Davao Occidental Tigers – Cocolife. It’s a great sign of the parity in a league that features a whopping 18 teams.
The league plays a single-round robin format in the elimination round, unheard of for a field of this size. The challenge of constantly preparing for a different opponent in a different venue is something coaches don’t face. You only get a chance at payback in the playoffs. The top 16 teams move on, with the top eight earning a twice-to-beat advantage. Same thing in the quarterfinals, where the top eight advance and the top four have the upper hand. The semifinals and finals become a home-and-away best-of-three. The President’s Cup is slated to end in March. Games are played five days a week, with Wednesday, Friday and Saturday matches televised live from 6 to 10 p.m. over IBC-13. So many players, coaches and team owners now have another chance to satiate
